Disclaimer: Blogs are a great place to get helpful information but they should never replace mental healthcare and this blog is no exception. These blog posts do not replace mental heath care and is not medical advice.

The short answer is yes, mental health can affect physical health and physical health can affect mental health. For example, some people who struggle with depression may be less motivated to exercise, eat healthy foods, or socialize with others. Mental health issues don’t only impact our physical health because of how they impact our behaviors.

Physiological changes occur in the brain which can impact us in the long-run.

For instance, when we experience prolonged trauma such as abuse, child neglect, homelessness, or prolonged stress, our bodies become exposed to cortisol for too long. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is released in the body when we are under stress.

Cortisol is vital in life-threatening circumstances because it increases blood sugar and prioritizes blood to parts of the body needed for survival in a threatening situation. However, prolonged exposure of cortisol to the brain can be detrimental to health. Prolonged exposure to cortisol is related to chronic health issues like heart disease and diabetes. 

In fact, people with high Adverse Childhood Experience scores often experience a wide array of physical health issues. This is thought to be for multiple reasons, one being the impact of high, prolonged stress on the body. In addition, pregnant women who have had trauma experiences throughout life are also more likely to experience postpartum depression, physical health issues, and complications with pregnancy and delivery. Why? You guessed it, prolonged exposure to cortisol.

To sum it up, stress is a normal part of life but prolonged stress, such as the stress we experience when going through chronic trauma (abuse, homelessness, child neglect, dangerous jobs, etc.) can negatively impact our physical health in the long-run.

To read more about this topic visit the CDC’s About Mental Health page.

Talk to you next week!

Carmelita