Depression Untreated Fatal Consequences, from Brain Damage To Loss of Life

According to the National Institute of Health records in the United States, 80% of people who experience depression can recover within a few weeks and months after undergoing treatment. Unfortunately, in Indonesia, the awareness to recognize symptoms of depression and go to a psychiatric specialist or psychologist is still very minimal. As a result, many people simply ignore depression without treatment or consult with experts. In fact, if depression is not treated, the impact can be life-threatening. Consider the five following untreated depression.

5 due to untreated depression

1. Heart disease

A number of recent studies prove that due to prolonged and untreated depression is triggering various types of heart disease. Ranging from strokes, coronary heart disease, to heart attacks.

Depression makes a person more susceptible to heart disease due to hormonal imbalances in the blood. During a depression, the brain continues to receive signals of threats.

So, the brain also releases stress hormones namely adrenaline and cortisol into the blood. The high levels of both hormones increase blood pressure, make your heart rate irregular, and eventually damage blood vessels.

Research published by Oxford University in 2014 also revealed that people who suffer from depression have a higher tendency to die from heart disease. Especially a few months after experiencing a heart attack.

2. Addiction

If depression is not treated properly, you are at high risk for addiction. Whether it's addicted to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or gambling.

This is because some people mistakenly think things that become opiate can help them overcome symptoms of depression. For example, feelings of despair can disappear for a while because of drug use.

In fact, drugs actually cause more damage to brain circuits and body systems. As a result, the mood that is actually regulated by the brain becomes even more chaotic and difficult to control. After the effect was exhausted, despair was even more abundant.

3. Brain damage

There has been a lot of research studying the effects of untreated depression on the brain. According to Dr. David Hellerstein, a psychiatric specialist from the New York State Psychiatric Institute causes depression in brain structures in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate.

This can lead to a decline in the cognitive function of the brain which is thinking, communicating, making decisions, and remembering everything. In some cases, chronic untreated depression can also trigger mental disorders such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder.

4. Difficult to establish relationships with others

In addition to the various consequences of depression that are left to health, your relationship with the people closest to you will be disturbed too. The human social soul is regulated by the serotonin hormone.

Meanwhile, depression makes you lack serotonin. As a result, you also become more difficult to socialize and establish good relationships with closest people such as spouses, children, and friends. You might prefer to be alone and stay away from your family.

5. Suicide

Reporting from the WebMD health site, approximately 90% of people who commit suicide show symptoms of depression. So, depression that is left alone can gradually increase your risk of dying from suicide. In fact, suicide is very likely to be prevented if you or a nearby person asks for help from a health worker.

In people with depression, suicide is not a way to seek attention or a form of revenge on people who hurt him, but rather because of biological factors.

That is to say, a serious mental disorder that experienced it made the brain lose cognitive ability to think clearly and weigh choices. The imbalance of chemicals in the brain also triggers a sense of despair, as if there is no point in continuing life.

If you feel the urge to end life, immediately ask for help from the nearest person and experts. You are also advised to consult directly with a psychologist or psychiatrist.

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