We know full well that a healthy body holds a happy mind, but did you know that the reverse is also true? The intimate link between mental and physical health is perhaps the most underrated aspect of healthcare and the root cause of most health issues. The world is witnessing political, social and financial unrest. Moreover, population pressure in countries like India makes life competitive. Together, we are all running a rat race of life that takes a toll on our health. Anxiety, depression, constant overthinking, unproductive sedentary workouts, and more are the root causes of common health issues like diabetes, hypertension, eczema, poor gut health, etc. With that as the core, the answer to can mental health affect physical health is yes—it does.

Effects of Mental Health on Physical Health

Science has proven the physical and mental health connection. Direct examples that prove the nexus include:

• High blood pressure and cardiac issues :

A recent study from the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig discusses the connections between higher blood pressure, depressive symptoms, well-being, and emotion-related brain activity, potentially skyrocketing blood pressure issues. Prolonged stress leads to high levels of cortisol hormones, causing heart-related issues.

• Diabetes :

Similarly, stress is also the reason for high blood sugar levels. Chronic anxiety, depression, trauma, depression, etc. affect hormonal control, insulin production, poor food habits and lifestyle. Together, these factors can cause or worsen diabetes. Chronic stress from diabetes management can increase mental health concerns, while poor mental health can impair diabetes control by influencing lifestyle choices, resulting in a vicious loop between the two disorders.

• Skin problems like eczema, hair fall, psoriasis, etc :

Recent studies have shown that skin is the immediate (fastest) stress receiver. Thus, acute or chronic periods of poor mental health can result in inflamed skin and related issues. Stress affects the skin through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, directly influenced by stress hormones like cortisol. Up-regulated cortisol can disrupt the HPA axis, impacting the immune system and causing skin issues.

• Poor gut health :

Poor gut health can harm mental health via the gut-brain axis, a two-way street. An imbalanced gut flora can produce toxins that disrupt happy hormones like serotonin. This can cause inflammation and block the brain's signaling pathways, resulting in mood disorders, anxiety, or depression.

• Obesity :

Obesity and poor mental health are interlinked in more than one way. Chronic inflammation from excess fat may hinder brain function—again, the social stigma associated with obesity increases stress, anxiety, and depression. Poor mental health can lead to unhealthy eating habits and sedentary activity, resulting in a vicious cycle that worsens both conditions.

• Poor sleep, low immunity and related issues :

Poor mental health can cause stress and anxiety, which disrupts sleep patterns and sleep quality—this dampens the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to infections and illnesses. This cycle of poor mental health disrupts sleep, and low immunity is a feedback loop exacerbating 10X health problems. Irregular sleep patterns also lead to diabetes, hypertension, skin issues and more, worsening the condition.

Can mental health affect physical health? Yes, but it can cause other mental disorders too. Apart from the issues we discussed, mental health is also the leading cause of other severe neurological and brain disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, mood disorders and more.

How Does Mental Health Affect Physical Health?

Most of us are so busy with life in general that we ignore mental wellness. What happens in the process is chronic health issues. We prefer consulting doctors, undergoing 100+ investigations, and staying lifelong on harsh medicines, but we choose to turn a blind eye to mental wellness. The process is a vicious circle that gets many hooked to easy ‘calming agents’ or ‘quick getaways’ like:

• Smoking and tobacco use
• Alcohol addiction
• Substance abuse
• OCD
• Pornographic addiction
• Gambling

And the list is never-ending. The sad reality is, none of these quick fixes can mentally or physically benefit you. Rather, they worsen cardiac issues, diabetes, skin problems, liver issues and brain disorders.

Jagruti Rehabilitation Centre for Mental and Physical Wellness

Jagruti Rehabilitation Centre has been in the mental wellness industry for 16+ years. As pioneers in many fields, like dementia care in Maharashtra, we start our de-addiction and mental wellness programs by digging into the root causes and empowering every member of our community to understand the sad repercussions of poor mental health on their overall condition. We know how does mental health affects physical health. expert doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, paramedics and technicians are trained to see every member’s health as a ‘whole picture’ so that we do not miss out on heart, blood sugar and other related problems. If you or a loved one is drowning in mental health, addiction and physical disease problems, feel free to reach out to us.