Ever felt helpless with PCOS and ignored those feelings because you thought they weren’t valid? As important as being physically well is when you have PCOS, being mentally well is just as important. PCOS can be overwhelming, and fear can overtake your senses when you are diagnosed with it. Women with PCOS often feel anxious or frustrated when their periods are delayed or they gain weight. In fact, mood swings can have a serious impact on your overall well-being when you mistake them for just hormonal fluctuations. Maintaining an appropriate balance in your mental health is essential to improving your physical health.
Researchers have found that women with PCOS are prone to anxiety and depression more often than those without the disorder. To start with, it’s important to understand how your mental health is affected. You may feel self-conscious about your body image and thinking in general due to PCOS, which can drastically alter your lifestyle.
PCOS and Depression:
It is becoming more and more common to suffer from depression, which affects the way you think, feel, or act, and adversely impacts your judgment. Most people who are diagnosed with depression in PCOS describe their condition as a chronic feeling of sadness. Although all of us do feel sad at times, it is important to recognize that when such feelings of sadness can affect our daily life or social relationships, it needs to be addressed and receive medical care. There are many symptoms correlated with depression, which is why it is important to talk to a therapist when you are experiencing any of these symptoms.
What causes depression in PCOS?
Several factors may contribute to the feelings of depression in women with PCOS, but the most common one is the difficulties associated with dealing with the symptoms.
Insulin resistance: A common problem for women with PCOS is insulin resistance, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Even though insulin resistance has been linked to depression, the reason behind it is not entirely clear. According to studies, insulin resistance can lead to abnormal hormone function, which contributes indirectly to depression in women with PCOS.
Stress: You may find it stressful to accept the PCOS diagnosis and adjust to the condition after being diagnosed. PCOS symptoms can affect the entire body in different ways, so you may feel like you have less control over your body as a result. PCOS can cause a woman to feel depressed due to mood swings and anxiety for a variety of physical and psychological reasons. The reason for this is that you feel stressed when you are threatened by a situation and don’t see a way out. Eustress or positive stress can keep you motivated to take on challenges but chronic stress can have detrimental effects on your physical and mental health and also affect you socially. Cortisol, which is a stress hormone, can worsen your PCOS symptoms and hamper your treatment journey.
Body Image: When you have PCOS, you may experience physical changes, which affect how you feel about yourself and how you look. Your self-confidence is directly affected by how you feel about your body. The physical changes associated with PCOS such as weight gain or acne or hirsutism can make you feel conscious about yourself and develop body image issues. Some women with PCOS, who haven;t found lasting solutions or are struggling to manage the symptoms, sometimes try to follow restrictive or fad diets with the hope that it’ll help them lose weight or cure PCOS. But following such restrictive diets are not only unsustainable but also lack major nutrients that are essential for PCOS management. This is not the solution to PCOS and will not work in most cases. This may result in a significant drop in women’s self-esteem, which may lead to depression. Developing a healthy relationship with food and your body is the first step in adopting a healthy lifestyle.
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Seek help!
Remember that seeking help is not a failing of your mental health – it can help you manage your emotions and thoughts better and improve your quality of life. Various types of therapy are available, and each woman can find what works best for her. As a result of being able to speak about their hardships without feeling alone, women can benefit from support groups because they feel a sense of belonging. Many people find that a few sessions of counseling are enough, while others may benefit from continual or regular sessions. To reverse your PCOS successfully, you must take care of your physical and mental needs at any point in time.
The way you handle your mental health can have a huge impact on the way you feel in general. Because your physical and mental health work in tandem, PCOS requires a holistic treatment approach.