Last week Singer Justin Bieber announced that he recently was diagnosed with Lyme disease, a tick-borne infection capable of causing fever, inflammation, articular pain, tiredness, and neurological issues.
Symptoms of Lyme may last for weeks or months
Lyme disease is among the United States ‘ most common tick-borne diseases. It is mainly caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
In some trials, even after the diagnosis of traditional antibiotics, 10 to 20 percent of people are still affected. The disorder is sometimes called Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) following diagnosis.
Dr. John Aucott, director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Diseases Research Center in Baltimore, reports depression is relatively mild in severity in individuals with PTLDS, with major depression being rare.
A 2017 Frontiers in Medicine study found that Aucott and his colleagues had more depressions than healthy subjects – along with exhaustion, discomfort, and poor sleep quality – with well-documented PTLDS.
While severe depression is less frequent among those with PTLDS, the risk of suicidal thoughts is higher in those with moderate to severe depression.
One study showed with PTLDS have more retention-related tasks than people with major depression. And such memory problems can occur together with issues with language as well as focus.
Bond of Lyme and depression inflammation
Therefore, are Lyme disease people suffering from depression as a result of chronic illness, or changes in their brain induced by sickness?
“We think both mechanisms are likely,” Aucott said.
In the eight different brain regions of participants, they found higher levels of the protein called translocator protein (TSPO) associated with healthy people’s brains. The protein is a cause for inflammation of the brain.
The relation between the longer-term effects of Lyme disease — or any chronically ill diseased — and psychological health is profound for Allie Cashel, president as well as co-founder of Suffering the Silence.
“When somebody is sick for a long period, their mental health is going to suffer,” Cashel stated. “If someone is mentally ill for a long period, their physical health is likely going to suffer as well.”
