6 Things Everyone Seems to Get Wrong About Depression

The Truth—Joint pain, headaches and chronic fatigue syndrome are also associated with depression, possibly because pain and mood are regulated by the same pathways in the brain, says John Greden, MD, executive director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center, in Ann Arbor. A recent study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress also found that depressed patients experience more frequent chest pain even in the absence of coronary artery disease. The combination of mental and physical pain can be debilitating—major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for those ages 15 to 44, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.