If approaching forty is a big, blue weight on your shoulders, you’re not alone.
Depression that strikes during middle age (40- to 50-years-old) is actually quite common worldwide, according to research from the National Institutes of Health. The trouble is that the symptoms of mid-life depression often overlap and coincide with common mid-life transitions and changes—such as perimenopause, hormone and vitamin deficiencies, retirement, “empty nest” syndrome and more.
Here are ten surprising ways that depression can occur in mid-life…
1. Chronic Pain Disorders
If you’re living with a chronic pain condition (i.e., lupus or rheumatoid arthritis) in middle age chances are you may also become depressed. This vicious cycle typically emerges like this—pain worsens, depression becomes more severe, and pain intensifies further. A 12-month study involving 500 primary care patients in pain from Indiana University concluded that pain and depression co-occur in approximately 50-perecent of incidences.
