United Kingdom review has recently found out that those people suffering from anxiety or depression can show increase rate of brain decline later in life.
University of Sussex psychologists carried out the analysis and looked at 34 longitudinal studies involving more than 70,000 participants. They focused on the link between anxiety or depression and the decline in brain function over time.
The studies included participants who showed symptoms of depression. Some participants were even diagnosed with clinical depression but none of the participants has dementia at the start of the study.
Psychologists found out that those people suffering from depression experienced massive decline in their brain function which include memory loss, decision making and information-processing speed in their later adulthood than those people without depression.
Previous research also suggested that people with anxiety or depression have increased risk of dementia. This is the first study to provide comprehensive evidence that depression can have effect on decline in overall brain's function.
"This study is of great importance - our populations are aging at a rapid rate and the number of people living with decreasing cognitive abilities and dementia is expected to grow substantially over the next 30 years," commented one of the lead authors of the study, Dr. Darya Gaysina.
"Depression is a common mental health problem - each year, at least 1 in 5 people in the UK experience symptoms. But people living with depression shouldn't despair - it's not inevitable that you will see a greater decline in cognitive abilities, and taking preventative measures such as exercising, practicing mindfulness and undertaking recommended therapeutic treatments, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, have all been shown to be helpful in supporting well-being, which in turn may help to protect cognitive health in older age," Amber John, who led the study, also added.
The psychologists are calling for greater awareness of the importance of supporting mental health to protect the brain health.
