Depression, a form of mental health disorder, is one of the trickiest diseases in the world today. Besides being hard to detect as a non-physical disability, it remains taboo for many cultures that tend to dismiss it as a mere weakness or frailty.
Yet, it is very pervasive, affecting people in all shapes and sizes, across all ages and social classes. In the U.S. alone, depression is one of the most common health disorders, affecting an estimated 17.3 million adults aged 18 years and older, according to 2017 data. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the world saw a sharp increase, with depression rates reaching up to three times higher.
Besides the numbers, there’s another reason why depression should sound alarm bells. Science has recently discovered a direct link between depression and immunity, specifically how depression changes the shape of immune cells.
This is groundbreaking research for the medical field that has long known the connection between mental health and the immune system, but hasn’t pinpointed exactly how, until now.
But first, let’s take a look at past studies that looked at how mental health affects the immune system.
The mind and the immune system
We’ve all encountered this piece of advice at one time or another: manage your stress and anxiety, so you won’t get sick. Stress and anxiety are known to suppress the immune system. Inversely, feelings of happiness can enhance the immune system.
When we’re stressed, our bodies release huge amounts of hormones called “cortisol”. Cortisol reduces the number of lymphocytes present in the blood, which are needed to fight viruses, according to the American Psychological Association.
When stress and anxiety persist over long periods without relief, this can lead to depression. While stress and anxiety can be managed by self-care activities, rest, and relaxation, depression requires a medical diagnosis and treatment.
Inflammation and immune system
In another study, they found that depressed patients are inflamed, or suffer from inflammation.
Further, it has linked depression with immune system changes such as low-grade inflammation, and elevated glucocorticoid output—a type of stress hormones that increases some white blood cells and indicate inflammation
In the study, mice who were repeatedly exposed to stress developed an immune response that released inflammatory proteins into their system. This causes low chronic inflammation in the body, making it prone to infections, metabolic diseases, and even cancer.
Recent study: immune cells changing their shape and having deformities
While the two previous studies are sound and concrete enough to establish the link between depression and immunity, this study from Germany succeeded in proving a physical change in the immune cells due to depression.
By studying blood cells, they found that people with depression have deformities in their blood cells that could affect the body’s immune response.
They discovered this when they screened 69 people who had depression and 70 healthy volunteers acting as the control group. Using AI, they looked at over 16 million blood cell images.
Here’s what they discovered about the blood cells of the ones with depression:
- The scientists discovered that immune system cells known as monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils were most deformable in patients with a persistent depressive disorder over their lifetime than in control subjects. (directly quoted from Medical News Today)
- These deformities in the white blood cells weaken the immune system.
- Long-term depressive conditions can cause cell membranes to bend and become deformed
- As the immune cells lose their ability maintain its shape and internal organization, its effectivity and functionality are affected, hence, weakening the immune system.
- The results of the study show for the first time a link with mechanical changes inwhite blood cells.
The implications
How does this finding affect the future of mental health and immunology research? Dr. Zablow, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist at UC San Diego School of Medicine interviewed by Medical News Today, said that in the future, testing the deformability of blood cells could become standard for people who are clinically depressed, or those who have chronic inflammation.
In the long run, and unforeseeable future, depression, which is often undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or underdiagnosed, can be detected through a blood test.
Further, this can result to new possibilities for therapy in the future, whether it’s addressing the depression or the deformed blood cells. Biological and psychological therapies can be explored that could cure depression efficiently and sustainably in the long term.
As more and more studies explore how mental health affects the immune system, people need to prioritize self-care, stress management, and relaxation in their day-to-day lives. Here are some effective ways:
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Main Reference:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/acupuncture-for-depression
Other References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924977X17302109
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01844/full
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
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