An April 8 MSNBC article bylined "Rick Ansorge, Eric Metcalf and the editors of Prevention Health Books" provided the following details about the possible link between depression and allergies:
Scientists acknowledge that allergens can contribute to mood alterations. In a 3-year study of 36 people with allergies, Paul S. Marshall, PhD, a psychologist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, found that 69 percent reported feeling more irritable when their allergies flared up; 63 percent reported more fatigue; 41 percent said that they had difficulty staying awake; and 31 percent reported feeling "sad."
So the idea that allergies might exacerbate mild depression in a few people who have other allergic symptoms isn't that far-fetched to some researchers.
"My guess is if there is a connection, it is not true for all people with allergies or all people with depression," says Marianne Wamboldt, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, both in Denver. "But for a small subset of individuals, it does appear that these conditions do seem to exacerbate each other."
Labels: depression, allergies, research
Posted By: Aspen/CRC