Have you ever given it a thought why most of the morose are morons? There is no need to go for a long logical deduction before you find out an answer for the question. In fact the medical science has already looked for an answer and found out one.

Till now we just guessed that chronic and life-threatening diseases caused depression and anxiety in patients. But recently, with increased understanding of the connection between human mind and health, different studies have confirmed facts and arguments that people with anxiety disorders have an increased chance of developing different types of physical conditions.

The association between anxiety and illness is much more recent, which was validated by a recent study by researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, led by Dr. Jitender Sareen. Earlier, in the October 23, 2006 Archives of Internal Medicine, conditions like thyroid diseases, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, arthritis, allergies, and migraine were closely associated with depression and anxiety. Furthermore, the presence of a physical condition along with an anxiety disorder increases the chance for disability and poor quality of life.

The above mentioned study found that, out of the individuals with both anxiety disorders and physical conditions, the majority developed the anxiety disorder first.

1. Those with both anxiety disorders and physical conditions are more likely to have a poorer quality of life and are unable to perform the normal daily activities.

2. The present study offers some possibilities as to why anxiety disorders and physical conditions appear so closely connected:

3. A physical condition, mainly the life-threatening ones, may cause increased anxiety eventually leading to an anxiety disorder.

4. A person with anxiety disorder may have an increased chance of illness which is the result of biological changes attributable to the anxiety disorder.

5. An anxiety disorder may lead to substance abuse, which in turn causes a physical illness.

6. Anxiety symptoms can be a side effect of a medication for a physical illness.

7. There are common genetic, environmental, and/or personality factors that connect anxiety disorders and certain physical conditions.

So, the above statements clearly signify that physicians need to assess for anxiety as well as depression during the treatment of patients for any physical conditions. The researchers wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine that although there have been increased efforts to recognize and treat depression in the medically ill, the findings call attention to the need to create similar programs to recognize and treat anxiety disorders in the medically ill.