NeuroStar® TMS Therapy
FDA-cleared, non-medication depression treatment
(855) 940-4867
Jules Washington
Medically reviewed on 11/26/2020 by
Dr. Kimberly Cress
Texas Regional Medical Director
Most people recognize the main emotional symptoms of depression: low mood, lack of energy, persistent sadness, and so on. But what about the physical symptoms of depression. These symptoms get less recognition, but they are worthy of attention. Depression can affect the entire body, not just your mood, and learning to identify its physical symptoms can help you see the whole picture, which is a crucial step toward wellness and healing. So how does depression affect the body? Here's an overview of the potential effects of the condition, as well as steps you can take to treat it and progress toward a healthier body and mind.
Not everybody with depression develops physical symptoms, but if you have dealt with depression for a significant amount of time, you might identify with these symptoms:
If you believe your physical symptoms have been neglected in your medical journey, it is normal to feel frustrated. Fortunately, there are proactive steps you can take to treat your depression and ease the physical symptoms it can cause, or even eliminate them entirely.
A two-way relationship exists between depression and some illnesses. One in four people with cardiac issues have depression, but individuals with depression also have a 64 percent greater risk of developing coronary artery disease.
Similarly, diabetes and depression occur together approximately twice as frequently as chance alone would predict. While depression can affect your general health, you can leverage this information now to find treatment that will enhance your overall well-being in the long term. In fact, according to the highly encouraging findings of one Indiana study that followed up with people over eight years, treating depression as soon as possible decreased the risk of strokes and heart attacks by half.
This does not mean that depression causes strokes or heart attacks directly. Rather, exercising less, eating less healthily, or smoking more during a bout of depression could elevate the risks associated with heart problems and diabetes. Depression can also weaken the immune system, making it tougher to fight off infections. The good news is that reaching out for depression treatment may help to improve your physical health as well.
Thanks for subscribing to our list!
When you're ready to improve your mental and physical health with depression treatment, what are the next steps? Treatment for depression usually begins with talk therapy and medication. However, you may have treatment-resistant depression that will not respond well to medication. This is the case for one in three people.
If this applies to you, there are non-drug possibilities. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS, is an effective treatment for when at least two medications have not been effective for depression. It is a gentle and non-invasive treatment cleared by the FDA. TMS applies highly focused magnetic pulses to brain regions that regulate mood, helping to relieve some, or even all, symptoms of depression in many patients.
About two-thirds of patients report a reduction in depression symptoms at the completion of the acute phase of TMS therapy, which takes six to nine weeks. In the course of treating the mental and emotional symptoms of depression, TMS may help to restore aspects of your physical health as well. With depression, it is possible to find your own path to wellness. Once you have developed an understanding of how depression may be impacting you physically, you can seek treatment options that support both physical and emotional health.
Take our short quiz to see if TMS therapy or nasal esketamine could be right for you
Subscribe for mental health, self-care, and TMS therapy and nasal esketamine updates for those affected by treatment-resistant depression or OCD.
Thank you for subscribing to our email list!
Oops, there was an error adding your subscription.
Please try again later.
By providing your email address, you are consenting to receive blog updates from Greenbrook TMS Inc. You may unsubscribe from these alerts at any time by following the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of email alerts. At Greenbrook TMS Inc. we take the privacy and security of your personal information seriously. To learn more about how we protect your personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Greenbrook supports an accessible internet. If you have any questions about our accessibility features, please contact us at
(855) 940-4867 or info@greenbrooktms.com.
All Rights Reserved | Greenbrook TMS NeuroHealth Centers.