Is Depression Aging You Faster? Scientists Reveal a 30% Increase in Health Risks

According to a study that followed more than 170,000 adults, people with a history of depression were much more likely than those without to acquire chronic medical illnesses such acid reflux, hypertension, and osteoarthritis. This emphasizes how urgently a healthcare system that addresses mental and physical health jointly, rather than separately, is needed.

According to a study released on February 13 in PLOS Medicine, adults with a history of depression experience the onset of chronic medical illnesses around 30% more quickly than those without. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, lead by Kelly Fleetwood, argue that depression ought to be viewed as a "whole-body" illness, stressing the importance of integrated treatment that takes into account both mental and physical health.

The most prevalent mental health issue is depression, which has been connected to a higher risk of physical ailments including diabetes and heart disease. Although this connection has been investigated in the past, the majority of these research have concentrated on a small number of circumstances. By comparing the rate at which physical issues develop in individuals with and without a history of depression, Fleetwood and her team aimed to offer a more comprehensive understanding.

Data from 172,556 UK Biobank members, ages 40 to 71, who had preliminary evaluations between 2006 and 2010, were examined in this study. 69 physical conditions were monitored by researchers over an average of 6.9 years. People with a history of depression had an average of three physical conditions at the beginning of the research, compared to two in those without depression. Over time, people with depression gained an average of 0.2 new conditions annually, compared to 0.16 for people without depression. Osteoarthritis (15.7% of individuals with depression vs. 12.5% without), hypertension (12.9% vs. 12.0%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (13.8% vs. 9.6%) were the most frequently identified new disorders.

The findings demonstrate that a prior diagnosis of depression is a predictor of the occurrence of chronic physical health issues in middle and advanced age. The authors think that integrated approaches to manage both mental and physical health could enhance care and results because most healthcare systems are built to handle separate disorders rather than people with multiple conditions.

The authors also state that "current healthcare systems are designed to treat individual conditions, rather than individual people with multiple conditions." People who have experienced depression are more likely to develop long-term physical health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. People who suffer from depression and chronic physical illnesses require care that is provided through an integrated approach by healthcare services.

Reference: “Depression and physical multimorbidity: A cohort study of physical health condition accrual in UK Biobank” by Kelly J. Fleetwood, Bruce Guthrie, Caroline A. Jackson, Paul A. T. Kelly, Stewart W. Mercer, Daniel R. Morales, John D. Norrie, Daniel J. Smith, Cathie Sudlow and Regina Prigge, 13 February 2025, PLOS Medicine.

This work was funded by the Medical Research Council/National Institute for Health Research (MC/S028013) (BG [principal investigator]; CS, JN, SM, CJ, DM, DS [co-investigators]). The funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.