Depression And Chronic Fatigue: How to Understand and Treat These Conditions
Depression and chronic fatigue really are related. Depression and overwork can cause chronic fatigue in individuals and chronic fatigue can sometimes cause depression. Chronic fatigue is a syndrome that is characterized by extreme tiredness that is not relieved by rest. It can be mild or severe and it often starts after an individual recovers from a flu like infection, surgery, traumatic accident, or death of a loved one.
Symptoms can come on gradually, or rapidly, and only a few people ever recover fully from it. While the exact causes are unknown, it is believed that depression, overwork, infections, brain abnormalities, and other bodily abnormalities may contribute to the cause. Like depression, chronic fatigue can affect anybody.
Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue
As the name suggests, the biggest symptom of this syndrome is unexplained fatigued that no amount of rest can assuage. Individuals become so tired that their normal activity levels drop by fifty percent or more. They will have problems concentrating, a sore throat, swollen glands, muscle pain, joint pain without swelling, unusual headaches, and sickness after exerting themselves in exercise or other strenuous activities. They may also find themselves with nausea and with sudden allergies or sinus problems. If left untreated, chronic fatigue can cause depression in some people.
Diagnosing Chronic Fatigue
There is no one all encompassing test that a doctor can perform to diagnose chronic fatigue. Doctors have to use a process of elimination in order to make sure an individual who is having these symptoms is not suffering from something else. Hyperthyroidism, heart disorders, sleep apnoea or narcolepsy, cancer, hepatitis B or C, eating disorders, drug abuse, and many others including depression and bipolar disorder, all can cause fatigue. The doctor will rule all of these out before diagnosing a patient with chronic fatigue.
Treating Chronic Fatigue
Some of the many different methods to treat chronic fatigue include gradual aerobic exercise programs and lifestyle changes - learning to slow down and store up energy for important activities. Cognitive behavioural therapy is also suggested as is medication that will treat some of the symptoms like depression. Treating the existing physical pain and allergies with appropriate measures also helps. While none of these methods work on their own, a doctor and their patient can find the ones that work the best when combined just for them.