Week 4 discussion
Stress and Depression
When doctors diagnose a patient’s mysterious pains, sudden
sleep difficulties, changes in eating habits, inexplicable migraines or
excessive fatigue as psychosomatic, it is easy to apply the layman’s
translation of “It’s all in your head.” However, when it comes to these
responses to stress, what may be “all in your head” might have a direct impact
on what is going on in your body.
With such symptoms as those just described, it is clear that
stress, immune function, and depression are linked. For example, those
suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder report high levels of depression.
Additionally, while you will not find a doctor ordering extensive lab tests to
diagnose depression, high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones are
found in the blood of the depressed. Also, survivors of early life stress, such
as childhood abuse, experience changes in the neurobiology of the brain, making
them more vulnerable to depression later in life. Even acute life stressors are
known to provoke depression, especially in an environment of poor social
support and frequent life crisis. Finally, chronic stress results in lowered
immune function and increased incidence of depression. Not only do the
relationships between the brain, stress, immune function, and depression exist,
but they are bidirectional and complex.
For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources
as well as the “Stress, Depression, and the Immune Response” section of the
“Stress, the Immune System, Chronic Illness, and Your Body” handout. Then
reflect on the different ways stress, the stress response, and depression are
connected. Finally, consider what part depression plays in the immune and
inflammatory response systems.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 an explanation of the relationships between
stress and depression. Then describe two factors of stress response that
influence the development of depression and explain how. Finally, explain the
influence of depression on the immune and inflammatory response systems. Be
specific.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific
references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 6 to at least one of your colleagues’
postings in one or more of the following ways:
• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s
posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the
responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any
insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for
entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
