How do anxiety and depression affect physical health?
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
By Ana Sandolu
Depression and anxiety may be just as bad for your health as smoking and obesity. However, cancer does not correlate with these mental health conditions. These are the main takeaways of a new study that investigates the physical health risks of these psychiatric conditions.
In the 17th century, Enlightenment philosopher Rene Descartes posited that the mind and the body were separate entities.
While this dualist idea has shaped much of modern science and thought, recent scientific advances show that the dichotomy between the mind and the body is a false one.
For instance, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio famously wrote the book he entitled Descartes’ error’ to prove precisely the point that our brains, emotions and judgment are much more intertwined than people previously believed.
The findings of a new study may further contribute to this latter argument. Aoife O’Donovan, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, and her coll...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
