Depression is a risk factor for vascular complaints such as heart disease
and stroke. Therefore, it is probably as important as the classic risk factors
of smoking, being overweight and lack of exercise, although the general
public is far more aware of these and they feature much more prominently
in preventive health policy strategies. Depressive disorders can also lead
to osteoporosis and adult onset diabetes. Therefore, depression is now
considered a “systemic” illness as it not only affects the brain but also
many other organ systems. All of this emphasises the huge importance of
early, careful and sustained treatment.