Combinations of Chronic, Physical Illnesses Up the Risk of Subsequent Depression

In the highest-risk groups, roughly one in 12 people developed depression over the next 10 years

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Certain groups of physical multimorbidity may be associated with a higher risk of subsequent depression, according to a study published online May 13 in Communications Medicine.

Lauren Nicole DeLong, from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and colleagues investigated associations between physical multimorbidity and subsequent depression. Analysis included 142,005 participants (aged 37 to 73) with at least one chronic physical condition identified from the U.K. Biobank.

The researchers found that one group, which included people experiencing the highest rates of physical illness, also showed the highest risk of developing depression. People with both heart disease and diabetes were at high risk of depression, as were those with chronic lung conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In both men and women, liver and bowel conditions had noticeable links to depression. Women with joint and bone conditions were particularly affected with depression, but this pattern was not as prominent among men. In the highest-risk groups, roughly one in 12 people developed depression over the next 10 years versus about one in 25 people without physical conditions.

“Health care often treats physical and mental health as completely different things, but this study shows that we need to get better at anticipating and managing depression in people with physical illness,” coauthor Bruce Guthrie, M.B., B.Chir., Ph.D., also from the University of Edinburgh, said in a statement.