In clinical work, many patients with liver disease have psychological problems of varying severity, of which depression is one of the more common, and a significant number of patients with liver disease have depression-related symptoms, which in turn can have a serious impact on the course and treatment of liver disease, leading to a vicious circle between liver disease and depression. Han Chunrong, Department of Infection, Wuhan Union Medical College Hospital
Common depression-related symptoms in patients with chronic liver disease include: anxiety, irritability, irritability, loss, self-pity, negative anxiety, and suspicion. The causes include:
1. The disease itself: long-term recurrent illness and treatment pain, guilt to family members, fear of disease progression and liver cancer, etc.
2. Social and economic pressure: including the threshold restrictions on study and work, social discrimination, expensive treatment costs, etc.
3. Medication: common depressive symptoms caused by interferon therapy.
The combination of depression in liver disease patients will have a negative impact on the patient’s therapeutic effect, and the quality of survival will be worse, more likely to have repeated abnormalities in liver function, resulting in prolonged illness.
Depression has so many adverse effects on patients with liver disease, and the antidepressants commonly used in clinical practice are all metabolized by the liver and increase the metabolic burden of the liver, which will bring adverse consequences to the treatment of liver disease. Therefore, I sincerely hope that every patient with liver disease should face the disease optimistically and prevent the occurrence of psychological diseases, so as not to make the liver disease worse. When you are in a bad mood, you should actively talk about it, release your pain, face the disease calmly, cooperate with your doctor and live every day happily, and you can also have a wonderful life with liver disease.