Your brain, mind, and body are all connected. Decades of research show that an unhealthy body can lead to brain and mental health issues. Now, there’s evidence that the opposite is true too. Research presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry in Paris in March 2023 reveals that individuals with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder, are biologically older than their chronological age. If you have a mental health disorder, this means your body may be aging faster than it should.

New research reveals that individuals with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder, are biologically older than their chronological age.

MENTAL HEALTH ACCELERATES BIOLOGICAL AGING

The new research found that people with a history of psychiatric disorders have blood markers indicating their biological age is older than their chronological age. Lead researcher Dr. Julian Mutz said in a release, “It is now possible to predict people’s age from blood metabolites. We found that, on average, those who had a lifetime history of mental illness had a metabolite profile which implied they were older than their actual age. For example, people with bipolar disorder had blood markers indicating that they were around 2 years older than their chronological age.”

These findings dovetail with earlier research showing that mental health problems also accelerate brain aging. According to a large-scale study at Amen Clinics involving brain SPECT scans of more than 30,000 people, the brains of people with bipolar disorder looked 1.6 years older than the brains of those without the psychiatric condition.

MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, LIFESPAN, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Not only do mental health disorders increase biological age, but they also shorten lifespan and increase the risk of physical health problems with age. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, chronic stress, and substance use disorders can take years off your life and make you feel and look older than your age.

• Depression: Individuals who are depressed often have headaches, body aches, inflammation, or chest pain.
• Anxiety: People with anxiety may experience irregular heart rhythms and palpitations.
• Chronic stress: Unrelenting stress is associated with increases in certain hormones that cause metabolic changes that make you more likely to be overweight or obese and that negatively impact regions of the brain involved in memory formation.
• ADD/ADHD: Having ADD/ADHD makes people more likely to have hypertension or obesity.
• Bipolar disorder: Increased heart rate, stomach pains, and insomnia are some of the effects of this condition.
• Substance abusers: People with drug or alcohol problems have a higher risk for liver disease and other ailments.

RESEARCH ON THE PHYSICAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

From a wellness standpoint, having depression, anxiety, chronic stress, ADD/ADHD, bipolar disorder, addictions, or other mental health issues should be viewed as a health emergency.  A growing body of emerging research confirms this. Here are some recent findings:

• A 2022 study in BMC Medicine that analyzed health data on people with anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder found higher levels of frailty, a condition that heightens mortality risk, in all 3 of these mental health disorders. The highest risk of frailty was associated with bipolar disorder.
• A 2019 study in The Lancet found that compared to the general population, people with mental health issues have a shorter life expectancy. Among those with mental health problems, men die an average of 10 years earlier and women lose about 7 years of life. At the highest end of the mortality, risk are men with substance use disorders, who die 14.8 years earlier than those without an addiction problem.
• A 2022 study in JAMA Psychiatry shows that when people have mental health issues in addition to a physical health condition, it increases the risk of death compared with those who only have a physical condition. This study found that having a mood disorder on top of a medical condition increases the risk of death by 55%. People with an eating disorder in addition to a physical health issue heightens the mortality risk by over 300%.
• A 2021 study in The Lancet analyzed 35 physical health conditions and found that having ADD/ADHD is associated with increased risk for 34 of them. Among these medical illnesses are fatty liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and obesity.

As the mounting evidence shows, mental health problems have a harmful effect on your physical body and have been associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and dementia. Unless treated aggressively, depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, bipolar disorder, chronic stress, addictions, and other mental health issues will rob you of your ability to live a long, healthy life.

DAILY HABITS TO REVERSE AGING FROM MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Since your brain, mind, and body are interconnected, it’s critically important to address mental health issues to optimize your overall well-being and slow or reverse the aging process. Look for a mental health professional who understands the brain-body-mind connection. Take note that caring for your mental health is a daily practice. Simple strategies that help include:

• Eat a brain-healthy diet that boosts mood, calms anxiousness, and calms stress.
• Take nutritional supplements to support mental wellness.
• Exercise every day to enhance mental sharpness and moods.
• Practice stress-reduction techniques.

By making mental health a priority, you can slow the aging process, boost your physical health, and improve your life.