Support Emotional Adjustment

Depression and Scleroderma

Overview

Depression is a serious sadness that may or may not have a reason. For people with scleroderma or another chronic illness, depression is a natural reaction to the diagnosis, the symptoms, and changes in the quality of life. Unfortunately, depression can add to the physical problems presented by the disease; therefore, depression needs to be addressed and reduced as much as possible.

Pick Up the Knitting Needles for a Mood Booster. This inexpensive hobby abounds with benefits. And once you get good, you'll be a mitten machine. New York Times, 12/21/2020.

Depression Has Skyrocketed During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Says. It's well-documented that natural disasters, wars and other mass traumas can lead to significant increases in population-wide psychological distress. Time Healthland, 09/04/2020. (Also see Suicide Prevention)

Americans Are the Unhappiest They Have Been in 50 Years: Poll. It’s been a rough year for the American psyche. Folks in the U.S. are more unhappy today than they’ve been in nearly 50 years. ABC News, 06/16/2020.

Impaired Swallowing Linked to Depression, Lower Quality of Life in Scleroderma, Study Finds. Swallowing trouble in people with scleroderma is associated with lower quality of life and a higher incidence of depression, a study found. Scleroderma News, 02/05/2020. (Also see Dysphagia)

When Depression Is Like a Cancer. Just as cancer may go into remission but still kill in the end, depression is a chronic disease that may ultimately prove fatal even with state-of-the-art care and resources. New York Times, 09/26/2019. (Also see Cancer)

Insomnia treatment may help ease depression during menopause. Women going through menopause may have fewer symptoms of depression when they get treatment for insomnia than when they don't, a recent experiment suggests. Reuters Health, 01/18/2019. (Also see Sleep Disorders)

Facebook posts may point to depression, study finds. People’s Facebook posts might predict whether they are suffering from depression, researchers reported on Monday. NBC Health News, 10/12/2018.

Am I Depressed? Resources to help you determine if you are depressed. Depression. VeryWell.

Nobody Understands! by Deborah A. Barrett, Ph.D.

Depression and Autoimmunity

Association of clinical characteristics, disease activity and health-related quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Predictors of MDD in SLE patients include higher scores in pain and global assessment, poor or fair self-reported health, and specific organ involvement. PubMed, Rheumatology (Oxford), 2021 Feb 6;keab123. (Also see Symptoms and Complications of Lupus)

Painful Sleep: Insomnia in Patients with Chronic Pain Syndrome and its Consequences. The purpose of this article is to review the diagnosis and management of insomnia in chronic pain syndrome and its impact on the quality of life. PubMed, Folia Med (Plovdiv), 2020 Dec 31;62(4):645-654. (Also see Fibromyalgia)

Evaluation of Mental Health Factors among People with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. The mental health of patients with SLE in the times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not only an extremely important medical problem but also a social one and must require special attention. PubMed, J Clin Med, 2020 Sep 5;9(9):E2872. (Also see Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): The Impact of Mental Health on Disease: A Narrative Review. It is important to determine the most appropriate tool to monitor mental health well-being and quality of life of RA patients in rheumatology outpatient clinics. PubMed, Rheumatol Ther, 06/13/2020. (Also see Symptoms and Complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis)

The Impact of Tocilizumab (TCZ) on Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This study has demonstrated a favourable impact of TCZ therapy on parameters reflecting depression and anxiety severity in patients with RA. PubMed, Eur J Clin Invest, 2020 Jun 1;e13268. (Also see Clinical Trials and Symptoms and Complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis)

Depression and suicidality in psoriasis and clinical studies of brodalumab: a narrative review. Clinicians are urged to evaluate patients with psoriasis for psychiatric risk factors regardless of their therapy. PubMed, Cutis, 2019 Dec;104(6):361-365. (Also see Suicide Prevention and Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis)

Association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and depression in parents: a retrospective cohort study. GDM is associated with an increased risk of depression in women particularly during pregnancy highlighting the need to screen for depression and provide supportive interventions during this period. PubMed, Clin Epidemiol, 2018 Dec 3;10:1827-1838. (Also see Support for Diabetes)

Association of Depression With Risk of Incident Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in Women Assessed Across 2 Decades. This study contributes to increasing evidence that depression may be associated with increased risk of SLE. PubMed, JAMA Psychiatry, 2018 Dec 1;75(12):1225-1233. (Also see Symptoms and Complications of Lupus)

Depression and anxiety in systemic lupus erythematosus: The crosstalk between immunological, clinical, and psychosocial factors. Despite also suffering from the pain and disability that accompanies chronic autoimmune disease, the rheumatoid arthritis patients had less anxiety and better relationship scores. PubMed, Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jul;97(28):e11376. (Also see Symptoms and Complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis)

The effect of depressive symptoms on cognition in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). FM patients show a cluster of cognitive impairment in the attentional and executive domains; some of the symptoms could be explained by depression, while others seem to depend on fibromyalgia. PubMed, PLoS One, 2018 Jul 5;13(7):e0200057. (Also see Fibromyalgia)

Illness perception is significantly determined by depression and anxiety in systemic lupus erythematosus. The study has proved a significant relationship between negative illness perception and anxiety and depression. PubMed, Lupus, 2018 Mar;27(3):454-460.

Depression and fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS): Relation to exposure to violence and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immunomarkers. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between depression, fatigue, and exposure to violence, with IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the CSF of MS patients. PubMed, Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2018 Jan 4;89:53-58. (Also see Multiple Sclerosis and Fatigue)

Depression, anxiety, and quality of life in a large cohort of patients with rheumatic diseases: common, yet undertreated. For the management of depression and anxiety, an increased awareness among physicians dealing with rheumatologic patients is warranted in order to integrate detection and effective treatment of anxiety and depression into the routine clinical practice. PubMed, Clin Rheumatol. (Also see Rheumatic Diseases)

Treatments

Resistance exercise linked to reduced depression symptoms. People who do resistance exercises like weight lifting and strength training may experience fewer depression symptoms, a research review suggests. Reuters Health, 06/13/2018.

Diet and Depression

Alcohol

Antidepressants and alcohol: What happens if I drink alcohol? Mixing antidepressants and alcohol is discouraged. Mayo Clinic.

Coffee

Sweetened beverages, coffee, and tea and depression risk among older US adults. Compared to nondrinkers, drinking coffee or tea without any sweetener was associated with a lower risk for depression. Adding artificial sweeteners was associated with higher risks. Frequent consumption of sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, may increase depression risk among older adults, whereas coffee consumption may lower the risk. PubMed, PLoS One. (Also see Food Guide)

Personal Stories

Betty Fults: CREST Scleroderma I would like to talk with someone that has feeding tubes also. Maybe that will help me…

David B: Raynaud's I am fifty-one years old and suffer with Raynaud's, bipolar affective disorder, high anxiety and phobias for which I am unable to take medication…

Dawn M: Linear/Systemic Scleroderma My family and I were informed by the doctors, that the localized/linear form of scleroderma that I was diagnosed with, would never progress into the potentially fatal, systemic form…

Denise E: Diffuse Scleroderma I was first diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma in February 2002, but my symptoms began subtly in the summer of 2000…

Donna: CREST, Raynaud's, possible Fibromyalgia I was diagnosed with CREST (Limited Systemic Scleroderma) by a rheumatologist in 2006. This wasn't really a surprise to me as my mother was diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma in 1998…

Franchina: Systemic Sclerosis (Italy) I am sixty-one years old, and I discovered I had this illness eleven years ago. Most likely I had it two years before, but nobody understood what was wrong…

(Italiano) Franchina: Sclerosi Sistemica (Italia) Ho 61 anni, ho scoperto la mia malattia 11 anni fa ma sicuramente l'avevo gia 2 anni prima ma nessuno riusciva a capire niente…

Gail: Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD) They found I had Interstitial Cystitis, a positive ANA, and gastrointestinal dysmotility…

Heather A: Scleroderma (South Africa) My fingers started to curl up and I could not wear any rings on my fingers anymore as they were so swollen…

Jaci: MCTD and Autoimmune Hepatitis Out of fear of going back to the doctors, I tried just to live with it, whatever it was. What I found strange was that nobody seemed to noticed how terrible I was feeling, not even the doctors…

Janet Q: UTCD or MCTD I also experienced new symptoms; joint pain, muscle aches, headaches, very painful carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, back and neck pain, the list grew on and on…

Kym: Diffuse, CREST Scleroderma, Lupus and Fibromyalgia It all started with Raynaud's in my fingers and toes when I was about nineteen years old, in 1979…

Leslie R: Scleroderma, Vitiligo, Lupus, Anemia, Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes He told me that I have scleroderma and explained what this disease is about. After suffering so long I finally got some answers…

Lucia: Scleroderma I was diagnosed with this illness in August of 2011. I am Colombian, 44 years old and have been a resident of the US for the past 6 years…

(Español/Spanish) Lucia: Esclerodermia Fui diagnosticada con esta enfermedad en agosto de 2011. Soy una mujer colombiana de 44 años y resido en los Estados Unidos desde hace 6…

Missy S: Lupus, Scleroderma, CREST and Depression They say I am not eligible for a medical card or disability. I have been fighting for four years…

Moroni: Husband with Systemic Sclerosis My husband was diagnosed with this illness two years ago. It all began with a cardiac arrhythmia. I took him to a cardiologist who performed an echocardiogram, where he realized that his heart had some damage…

(Español/Spanish) Moroni: Esposa de Paciente con Esclerosis Sistémica Mi esposo fue diagnosticado con esta enfermedad hace dos años, se le manifestó con una arritmia cardiaca, lo llevé a un cardiólogo y éste le realizó un ecocardiograma y se dio cuenta de que su corazón presentaba una restricción…

Nina: Fibromyalgia, Raynaud's, Limited Scleroderma/CREST That is when I found ISN! The volume of reliable, informative, trusted information that I found on this site completely overwhelmed me…

Rosebud: Diffuse Scleroderma My hands are the worst. They are completely swollen, red, itchy, with burning sensation and in pain constantly…

Rosemary F: Surviving Daughter of Diffuse Scleroderma Patient She tried to explain it, but it was hard for me to comprehend the disease's symptoms. Mom said that it was the same thing that her oldest sister died from…

Star S: Morphea and Systemic Scleroderma I was diagnosed with morphea at age seven. Now at age thirty-three, I have recently developed systemic scleroderma with gastrointestinal manifestations, Sjogren's syndrome, inflammatory arthritis, malabsorption…

Susie: CREST Syndrome I have had CREST syndrome for the past eight years. My specialist is Dr. Frederick Wigley, from Johns Hopkins…

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