Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Is depression linked with AS?

hi seb,

you do have a lot of changes going on. plus not being around your friends, not having your routine, not sure what your next step is, that's a lot on your plate.

if you are like me, which it sounds like you are, being around friends sounds really important.

sounds like you'll get through this. i do think the first step is recognizing it. then figuring out how to proceed. of course we're here to lend an ear as well

Hi, Seb...

There are two main types of depression. Reactive depression happens when events in someone's life totally suck, such as after the loss of a loved one. This type of depression responds well eventually to talk therapies, because it's completely thought- and emotion-based.

Clinical depression, on the other hand, is as physical as the flu. Stress, chronic pain (such as AS), certain diseases and chemicals, and other physical causes can and do over time change the way the brain handles the soup of chemicals which carry signals from neuron to neuron. Some imbalances cause schizophrenia; others, such as too little serotonin, cause clinical depression. All the counseling in the world has as much effect on clinical depression as shaking a juju stick has on the flu-- absolutely none. Fortunately there are many drugs available today (SSRIs) which can restore that balance with few or no side effects. By all means talk to your doctor about it.

Happy holidays and shalom,

John

or maybe even a cold shower. they have been shown to releive symptoms of depression and also provide a significant analgesic (pain releiving) effect.
- 'Adapted cold shower as a treatment for depression' - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030698770700566X

if you think things are not ok, then go see a doctor.

chronic inflamation is almost always linked with depression. jroc explained well: it leads to decrease of serotonin levels in our body,with time our brain starts to be satisfied with such low levels and thus we enter a vicious cycle where the serotonin levels go lower and lower.

antidepressant drugs helped me a lot with this disease. i am on it for more than a year and i can tell the difference.

Hey jroc, Didn't mean the hot shower would boast your serotonin levels it's the physical activity. The hot shower is just a nice way to finish up a workout.

seb:

Depression is related to AS more directly because of the severe calcium deficiency caused by this disease. Are You supplementing with enough calcium, and are You balancing the amount with magnesium? Along with diet, supplementation in general but especially vitD, calcium, EFAs, and Bcomplex are important to maintain mental clarity, mostly incompatible with clinical depression.

HEALTH,
John

If you don't have a job or school..continue with school (higher learning) then maybe a part time job or volunteer some where. There is nothing like helping someone to warm your heart.

Thanks for all of the advice.

I really really hate to say it but recently those horrible thoughts have crept into my head (if you understand). Of course I would hope that I'd never ever hurt myself or my friends and family but in truth I'm feeling really lost. I can't seem to accept the fact that I may be hunched over when other people will have a family and be parents etc. I can't fathom the idea of being crippled. I just cannot accept it. I hope it doesn't look like I'm attention seeking. The truth is that I am absolutely terrified! I'm just really scared atm

AS doesn't appear to be related to calcium deficiency. "Calcium homeostasis and testosterone levels were normal in subjects with AS ... BMD of subjects with AS is decreased, in spite of normal calcium homeostasis and bone remodeling indices." - http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/9598894 . I can't find any links between calcium deficiency and depression. In fact excess calcium and calcium supplementation has been implicated as a cause of depression. As you mentioned, magnesium appears to be useful in depression with one of the proposed mechanisms being that it counters the negative effects of excess calcium - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987706001034

If you stay active and do back mobility exercises and stretches every day then it is unlikely that you will end up hunched over and crippled. AS usually progresses slowly in a linear fashion whereas science, technology, and medical knowledge grow exponentially so there are lots of reasons to be optimistic that you will be able to have a normal life and a bright future. There are better medications on the horizon, as well as new and interesting research such as the human microbiome project and new developments in quantifying the impacts and mechanisms of pre/probiotics. It sounds like you have had some success in the past with dietary changes so that could also be an option. I don't have all the answers but hope you feel better soon.