Depression together with a physical disease

If you are suffering from a disease and get yet another disease, it is called a secondary or comorbid disease. We are therefore not talking about a worsening of the original disease but a new disease on top of the one you are already suffering from.

Every serious or lengthy physical disease unfortunately increases the risk of developing depression. There can be several reasons for this.

Psychological reasons

It is understandable that you can become unhappy and even develop depression if you are in severe pain or you find it difficult to function the way you would like to. The same is of course true if you are suffering from a disease which disables you or is fatal.

Physical reasons

Some diseases affect the brain function and can therefore trigger depression. This applies among other conditions to cerebral thrombosis,  Parkinson's disease,  dementia and  multiple sclerosis. If the disease has changed your body’s chemical balance or hormonal balance, it can also trigger depression or other psychological diseases.

Medicine

The medical treatment, which is necessary to improve or cure your physical disease, can in some cases trigger or maintain depression, anxiety or other psychological diseases. This can for instance apply to certain forms of heart medicine, such as beta blockers.