PCOS DEPRESSION & ANXIETY
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS (or suspect you have PCOS) you most likely have experienced a level of depression and/or anxiety. We may label ourselves as lazy or unmotivated or tired or emotional. We may think it's all in our heads and if I could just get my diet right I won't feel so worried or obsessed. But depression and anxiety with PCOS is more than that. It is common. It has a cause. It is NOT your fault. And it doesn't get to stay in control any longer. While we talk about depression and anxiety I want to make sure you know this is once again not your fault and it is SO COMMON. We need way more research but the research we do have points to around half of people with PCOS experiencing depression and/or anxiety. And here is the thing I would say that number is too low. Between my clients and all the people I get to talk with about PCOS almost ALL of them have experienced depression and anxiety. You are not alone. And there is hope. You can experience comfort and peace and hope and fun and rest and joy and motivation and contentment while living with PCOS.
BIOLOGICAL CAUSES
It is widely believed that depression and anxiety are developed and continue because of biological, psychological, and social factors. Let's break that down for how it specifically relates to PCOS, depression and anxiety.
I want to start with biological because I think it is the most undervalued cause of depression and anxiety with PCOS. We are trained to believe it's our fault vs told how many things outside your control are working against you.
Biological- Estrogen deficiency frequently leads to mood disorders. This may sound familiar for people going through menopause, postpartum, or with oral contraceptives but it's also linked for PCOS and mood. Insulin Resistance changes how the body makes certain hormones which can lead to depression and anxiety. And finally the excess inflammation found in many bodies with PCOS puts you in a continued state of high cortisol levels which in turn produces depression and anxiety.
What does this mean for you? It means that it is not your fault. You did not ask for PCOS and you did not ask for depression and anxiety. You did not cause it.
SOCIAL CAUSES
Let's get into the terrible, frustrating, makes me say a lot of curse words, world of social causes of depression and anxiety with PCOS. I saved this one for last because I knew it was going to make me hot! There are SO MANY ways society causes and reinforces depression and anxiety for people with PCOS. Let's make a list: can't be fat, can't have the wrong curves, facial hair, thinning hair, acne, just eat the right things and your problems will go away, why haven't you had a baby, it doesn't look like you have a chronic illness, putting 12 year olds on diets, not being given access to medical test and care because the problem is just your weight, you don't deserve to be a mom or to even ask for infertility treatments until you are a certain BMI, can't shop in store for clothes, furniture that won't support your body, ONE MILLION comments and suggestions about what you are doing wrong and if you would just try this one thing you would be thin and pretty and fertile and reach and successful and god damn accepted.
It’s no wonder people with PCOS have high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. If you have PCOS it is not your fault. If you feel bad about your body it is not your fault. If you have tried everything and it didn't work it is not your fault. You did not cause this and you did not get to this place on your own. When biology has set you up to be prone to depression and anxiety and then society and family and friends comes at you all the time with critiques and comments and judgements it is no wonder that you are experiencing depression and anxiety. You didn't get yourself into this place alone and it may take more than yourself to get to a place of peace, liberation, neutrality, and joy. Others have reinforced these negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself but guess what, there are so many of us that want to surround you and support you. Having someone you knows your pain and experience and how much the outside world has hurt you is so important. Not doing this on your own is so important. I am here and I want to help.
PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSES
"I'm broken." "I'm ugly." "I'm lazy." "I'm out of control." "I don't deserve love." "I can't fix this." Do any of these sound familiar? I know I've had points in my PCOS journey where I held all these beliefs about myself. And I hear them from clients all time. These beliefs are vulnerable, honest, raw and are buried so deep into our minds. This week are talking about PCOS, depression, and anxiety. Yes, there are biological factors related to PCOS that are causing the depression and anxiety you experience. That's one piece of it. This is another. This psychological piece of what causes depression and anxiety with PCOS is about our thoughts. It's about our beliefs.
Some of the hard work my clients do is centered around becoming aware of these negative beliefs and thoughts and HOW OFTEN we tell them to ourselves. These negative thoughts we have about ourself eats away. It makes us hopeless and panicked and obsessive and fearful. It holds us back from the life we want. It pulls us back down five feet when we feel like we've just made 6 inches of progress. We have to pay attention to these beliefs and we need someone to help us see how they are lies. Again I will remind you that they are not your fault. PCOS is not your fault. Depression is not your fault. Anxiety is not your fault. These horribly painful thoughts and beliefs are not your fault. They came from somewhere. I want you to know today that there is a way out. We can work together to recognize these thoughts and beliefs and move away from them. We can grieve the pain they have caused you. We can loosen their grip on your life.
Want help with PCOS Depression & Anxiety? Elizabeth is currently accepting 1:1 therapy clients. Click the button below and let’s connect!