Concerns about mental health have rapidly increased over the last few years as more mental illness reports have surfaced. Due to changing social, economic, and political landscapes, more attention has been spotlighted on mental health than in centuries prior.
While health concerns were chiefly about physical well-being for most modern society, health institutes and organizations have been shifting their focus on the importance of mental health.
Widespread Mental Health Struggles
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, around 17 million adults in the United States have experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2017.
Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) attributed the leading cause of disability to depression, with more than 264 million people in the world suffering from it. The sheer numbers of individuals struggling with mental illness have led scientists and researchers to identify primary environmental and lifestyle factors that affect the development of depression.
Fortunately, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have analyzed data on over 100,000 participants in the UK Biobank. This is a research program that has been tracking the wellbeing of around 500,000 volunteers in the UK since 2006.
Focusing On Modifiable Risk Factors
According to lead author Karmel Choi, Ph.D., the research studies the modifiable factors that contribute to the development of depression. She and her colleagues zeroed in on 106 modifiable factors that may affect people’s risk of developing depression. They were grouped into three categories:
- Lifestyle, including diet, exercise, sleep patterns, and media usage
- Social, including social engagement and support systems
- Environmental, including outdoor exposure and pollution
The researchers first separated participants who were already at risk of developing depression due to hereditary conditions or childhood trauma. They then performed an “exposure-wide association scan” of the database to determine which of the modifiable factors are linked to the development of depression over the time leading up to the follow-up session.
The researchers then utilized a statistical technique called Mendelian randomization. The method restricts the field to factors that have most likely caused or prevented depression in participants instead of only correlating with it. It also assumes indiscriminate inheritance of specific genes, like those that impact a person’s risk of developing depression.
A Factor That Helps Fight Depression
Once the research team completed Mendelian randomization, they discovered several modifiable factors that may help protect against depression.
According to senior author Jordan Smoller, MD, the team found that “the most prominent of these factors was the frequency of confiding in others, […] visits with family and friends, all of which highlights the important protective effect of social connection and cohesion.”
He stressed that during a time of social distancing and separation from friends and family, social connection and support are more critical now than ever. The study found that sharing troubles with trusted friends and family appeared to reduce the risk of depression by 24 percent.
Social connections proved to provide a form of protection in people who were already predisposed to developing depression due to trauma in their childhood or genetics.
Common Factors That Increase Risk of Depression
Researchers have found common factors that contribute to the development of depression. In their study, napping during the day and spending hours watching television appeared to increase the risk of depression by 34 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
The scientists have remarked that further research is required to identify whether these two activities directly contribute to developing a high risk of depression or if they simply reflect sedentary lifestyles.
Many health experts have touted physical activity benefits to improve overall health and well-being, so a sedentary lifestyle may instead prove the opposite.
Conclusion
Taking care of one’s mental health is as important as caring for physical wellbeing. In a time where social distancing is encouraged to combat the spread of COVID-19, staying connected to friends and family may be more difficult.
However, confiding in others is a crucial factor in preventing the development of depression. Keeping in touch regularly with loved ones and sharing troubles with them will help lower the risk of developing depression.
Are you in need of a reliable healthcare news source? Bookmark our website today! We offer the latest in the healthcare industry in our blog posts and articles.
