Don't panic, a little anxiety could be good for you, but depression is as bad as smoking
19 November 2009
Depression can be as harmful to your health as smoking, but a little anxiety could be good for you, according to new research.
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Dr Virginia Warren, assistant medical director, Bupa |
There are a number of self help treatments you can try - relaxation techniques or counselling, or even just getting out and doing some exercise may help to lift your mood. Family and friends can also be vital in helping you feel better. 
The study, published this week in the British Journal of Psychiatry, investigated whether people with depression or anxiety were more likely to die within a three to six year period than those who did not have either condition. More than 60,000 men and women took part in the research carried out in Norway.
At the beginning of the study, each person was asked to complete a questionnaire about their mood and how they had been feeling during the previous two weeks. The questionnaire focused on the psychological symptoms of depression and anxiety such as irritability or a lack of confidence, rather than physical symptoms like trouble sleeping. From this, the researchers were able to determine if the person was depressed or anxious.
The researchers also asked each participant about their health and lifestyle, for example if they had any health conditions, how much exercise they did, if they smoked and their level of education. This information was taken into account when analysing the results.
Each person was followed-up by the researchers on average four years later by looking at national death registries to see who had died.
The researchers found that those who were depressed were one and a half times more likely to die from any cause than those who were not depressed. This increased risk is similar to the risk seen in smokers.
People with moderate levels of anxiety did not have an increased risk of death. However, people with very high levels of anxiety were more likely to die, as were people with very low levels of anxiety. The researchers explain these inconsistent findings by suggesting that people with very high anxiety are more prone to stress, but people with very low level anxiety may be less inclined to seek help for health conditions. Also, rather surprisingly, people who were both depressed and anxious were at a lower risk of death than those who had depression alone.
Dr Virginia Warren, assistant medical director for Bupa, commented: "There are a couple of key messages to take away from this study. Firstly, that depression and anxiety pose a very real health risk. As a society, we must tackle the social stigma associated with these conditions to ensure that people get the help and support they need. Secondly, a little bit of anxiety does not seem to do you any harm. However, it's important that people manage their anxiety and stress levels because, as the study shows, too much anxiety can start to negatively affect your health.
"If you are depressed or very anxious, talk to your GP for advice and support. There are a number of self help treatments you can try - relaxation techniques or counselling, or even just getting out and doing some exercise may help to lift your mood. Family and friends can also be vital in helping you feel better."
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Related information
- Anxiety disorders health factsheet
- Depression health factsheet
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) health factsheet
- Stopping smoking health factsheet
Read the study
Read the study: Arnstein Mykletun, Ottar Bjerkeset, Simon Øverland, Martin Prince, Michael Dewey and Robert Stewart: Levels of anxiety and depression as predictors of mortality: the HUNT study. The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 195: 118-125. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.108.054866
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