Are you prone to depression? Look at the skin!
Last reviewed: 17.10.2021
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Stress and depression can have a very negative effect on a person’s health. But it is very difficult to pre-identify and prevent those patients who are prone to the development of such pathological conditions. Scientists representing the Australian University of Newcastle shared their belief that such a tendency can be accurately determined and predicted if we consider the skin of a person. For example, we mean the reaction of perspiration to pre-pulse inhibition - a decrease in the body's motor response to a sudden stimulus (usually a sound one): after a kind of fright, a person remains in an excited state for a long time. Experts explain that the longer this period of arousal is, the more prone to depression and stress can be said.
This position was proved during the study.
In a normal situation, when people hear a bright loud sound, their heart begins to beat more often, their breathing changes, and sweating is intensified. Further, with the repetition of such loud sounds, the fright manifests itself less and less. Preliminary studies have shown: a longer addiction to such moments indicates a weak psychological stamina of a person. Therefore, in such a situation, we can talk about the patient's predisposition to the development of a depressive state.
To test this assumption, an additional experiment was conducted, on the initiative of a group of scientists led by Professor Eugene Nalivaiko. At the first stage, three dozen young volunteers were interviewed, which made it possible to find out their own opinion about their own mental state. The second stage was testing: the volunteers were subjected to sound shock, determining the speed of their adaptation to sharp sounds. In addition, scientists took an analysis of perspiration.
Depression and stress greatly poison the existence, both for the suffering people themselves and their loved ones. We are talking about quite serious mental failures, which are associated in the minds of many of us with low mood. However, a real depressive state is a much more serious moment than a usual bad mood. Therefore, depression is better to prevent than to engage in its treatment in the future.
According to the results of the experiment, it became clear: people who assume poor stress resistance in themselves, in fact, got used to sound excitation more slowly than other participants. Scientists expressed the hope that this method of determining the tendency of people to psychological disorders can be successfully used - for example, in military and educational institutions. This will allow timely taking the necessary preventive measures.
The study reports the publication New Atlas.