Can MH conditions cause physical health problems?

[NotAnotherCrisis]

I've recently had a resurgence of a serious (chronic, relapsing) mental illness and I've gone from being fit and healthy to feeling physically atrocious!

It seems to have brought back chronic back pain I used to have, IBS flare, I feel dizzy a lot and absolutely KNACKERED. I am so tired I am struggling to function normally at all.

Coincidence? Lifestyle from not being able to exercise? I've never had this reaction to Fluoxetine in the past, so doubt it is that. Is it all in my head?

I think so. When my MH is bad everything flares up and just adds to the pressure.

i don’t know for certain but those symptoms are me EXACTLY when I’m in a bad place, it takes months of eating well, sleeping right and exercising to start taking the edge off x

Yes mental health doesn’t exist in a bubble, there are lots of ways mental illness or poor mental health manifests in physical ways. My psoriasis flares up badly in times of stress. Hypertension and associated conditions are linked to prolonged stress. Fibromyalgia can be triggered by trauma.

It is more than likely that your physical symptoms and mental symptoms are very connected

What is your diet like? Do you eat a lot of ultra processed foods (anything in a packet that has more than 5 ingredients)?

A lot of what you are describing is probably chronic inflammation - body and brain. If you eat to reduce inflammation (no UPF's, seed oils, refined carbohydrates) you may find pretty fast relief from your symptoms

Have you had Covid recently? It sounds like it could be Long Cove it as well

My diet is reasonable, but definitely not perfect. As I got more stressed and time pressured at work and family I haven't been exercising at all.

I had covid for a second time late November.

I'm finding myself planning out my chores across a whole day because I get tired doing such basic things. I'm early 30s! I'm supposed to go back to work next week and panicking tbh.

Mind and body are so closely linked. Just a trivial example, but if you're nervous about something it's common to have an upset stomach and perhaps a slightly raised heart rate. With actual mental health problems, any physical effects could easily be magnified. You've probably heard the phrase, "It feels like I'm walking through treacle" - another example of the physical exhaustion depression can cause.

Absolutely without a doubt. If any part of your body is stressed or broken it eventually can take it's strain on the rest of you. It's all down to tension, inflammation and over production of certain hormones. Significantly cortisol.

If physical symptoms from mental illness are all in your head, then picking up a cup off a table is all in your head. You decide you want a sip of tea and that thought somehow causes parts of your body to contract and move and ferry the drink to your mouth. A racing heart because you just saw a spider or nearly got hit by a car is all in your head too — you saw something scary and it made a sequence of things happen in your body. Getting goosepimples all over from a beautiful piece of music is all in your head.

Physical things happening in our bodies as a result of mental processes, both intentional and automatic, is so routine that most of it's not even worth remarking on.

Don't let anyone convince you that the physical symptoms of your illness aren't real. They're as real as the broken nose caused by someone's thoughts moving their fist towards someone else's face.

It's a vicious circle. Having ongoing physical issues can affect your mental health.