Feeling Worse than You Were: Depression Inflates Perceptions of Physical Symptoms

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

There are many negative aspects of thoughts and feelings of depression that can interfere with an individual’s daily life, and the emergence of physical symptoms associated with the issue may play a major role in overall outlook and mood. A study conducted at the University of Iowa found that those with depression issues also report stronger common discomfort symptoms such as various aches and gastrointestinal problems when asked to reflect on how they had previously felt and recorded. The research asked a group of women to record their levels of discomfort daily, and to report them again at a later date; those with signs of depression exaggerated their symptoms on follow-up reports, suggesting that the mental health concern may have an impact on self-perception as to personal health.