Types of Depression and Their Relation to Eating Disorders

Depression is often used as a blanket term to encapsulate any time someone’s feelings of sadness or despair impact their daily functioning. However, few people know that there are numerous types of depressive disorders.

These depressive disorders interact with co-occurring eating disorders in various ways that are important to keep in mind.

What is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)?

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is what people are most commonly referring to when they think of depression.

Symptoms include feeling depressed most of the time, loss of interest in preferred activities, restlessness, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, and thoughts of suicide.  MDD is also the most common comorbid diagnosis in patients with an eating disorder, with lifetime rates between 50 to 75 percent [1]. The combination of these two disorders is quite dangerous and can result in higher rates of suicide attempts and suicide-related fatalities [1].

As such, it is important to make your recovery team aware of your dual diagnosis and work on treating and overcoming both disorders.

Other Types of Depression

Persistent depressive disorder, or dysthymia, refers to a chronic state of depression lasting at least 2 years. With this type of depression, it is often consistent and does not change based on situations or circumstances. This disorder has been found to be more strongly associated with bulimia nervosa than MDD [2].

Additionally, some studies have shown that dysthymia may also be more strongly related to all eating disorders than MDD in regard to adolescents [2].

Bipolar disorder, sometimes called “manic-depressive illness,” causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks [3]. This disorder often co-occurs with eating disorders and both have been found to have similar pharmacotherapy responses.

For example, studies have found that both anorexia and symptoms of mania respond well to lithium [4]. Additionally, both have similar pathologies, such as “elevated comorbid anxiety, alcohol, and drug use disorders [4].”

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a depressive disorder that impacts many people and results in feelings of depression that come and go with the seasons, often beginning in late fall and going away during spring and summer [5]. Patients with bulimia nervosa have “significantly higher prevalence of all seasonal syndromes,” which researchers believe supports the hypothesis that serotonin dysregulation may be involved in both disorders [6].

Connection Between Eating Disorders and Depression

There are ways that depressive disorders interact with eating disorders that are similar across the board. For example, they share common risk factors, such as body image dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and poor social support [7].

Additionally, studies indicate that both patterns of onset occur, meaning that depression sometimes precedes the eating disorder and vice versa [8]. Finally, there is evidence to support that both disorders are influenced, at least in part, by shared genetic factors [8].

The differences between the types of depression and eating disorders can make a big difference in how each disorder manifests itself, as well as how they are treated. Speak with your recovery team to learn more about how your unique experience of depression may be impacting your eating disorder.

About the Author: Margot Rittenhouse is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth. As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

References:

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published May 13, 2017.
Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on May 13, 2017.
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com