New Research Identifies a Surprising Early Symptom of Depression
Could this help patients get the diagnosis they need?
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Ask anyone what the symptoms of depression are, and they are likely to ramble off the same list. Sadness. Hopelessness. A loss of enjoyment. Emotional numbness. Isolation. These basics have been drummed into our memory and created an exhaustive picture of how the symptoms of depression manifest.
A symptom we don’t often associate with depression is the loss of smell.
This often-ignored phenomenon has long left researchers puzzling the connection. Why do those with depression have difficulty smelling things? Why can’t they differentiate different odors? Why do so many with depression also suffer from dysosmia and anosmia?
Getting clear on the answers.
When you’re trying to clarify the symptoms of mental illness, the process can be tricky. It’s hard to draw a line of correlation between something like dysosmia and depression because there are so many variables involved. What causes what? What is the chain of connection between them?
