Ask a doctor - When does severe infection cause long-term mood disorders?

Q. When does severe infection cause long-term mood disorders?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Seconmedic Expert

Severe infection can cause long-term mood disorders in a variety of ways. In some cases, the infection triggers an imbalance of hormones that can lead to major depression and other mental health issues. For instance, studies have found that individuals with chronic Lyme disease are six times more likely to develop major depressive disorder than those without the illness.

In addition, severe infections may affect brain chemistry and disrupt neurotransmitter systems connected to emotional regulation and emotional responsiveness. Neurochemical imbalances associated with inflammation can cause significant changes in behavior and emotional responses, resulting in cognitive impairment as well as depression and anxiety symptoms.

Further contributing is the fact that certain viral or bacterial pathogens produce their own toxins which directly damage parts of the brain involved in emotion regulation including the hippocampus (an area controlling memory) – thereby leading to long-term mood disturbances such as PTSD or dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder). For example, it has been observed that Hepatitis C patients often experience higher rates of depression due to direct damage from viral toxins on regions of the brain crucial for processing emotions accurately .

Finally, recovering from a serious illness is often challenging both mentally and physically — thus creating a proper balance between restorative activities versus self-care initiatives necessary for physical healing while also promoting psychological well-being can be hard to achieve when struggling with postinfectious fatigue syndrome or similar illness trajectories.. This imbalance often leads to feelings of guilt over not fully recovering quickly enough combined with managing persistent pain which then contribute significantly towards psychological exhaustion – ultimately resulting in depressed moods.