With finals week approaching, anxiety and depression levels are up and might cause added aches and pain for students.
According to a recent survey conducted by Freedom From Fear, increased pain is directly attributed to anxiety and depression.
Freedom From Fear is a mental illness advocacy group that focuses primarily on anxiety and depression disorders.
The survey questioned 410 people around the country, and 60 percent said they have a moderate to severe change in physical symptoms. Eighty-eight percent said they believe depression and anxiety can cause painful physical symptoms.
"The brain perceives pain," said Beverly Kloeppel, associate director at UNM's Student Health Center. "If the brain is dysfunctional, there will be a lower threshold for pain."
Kloeppel said anxiety and depression also reduce the ability to cope, which can interfere with stress and sleep patterns - also contributing to pain.
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She said while people can experience pain from depression, pain can also cause depression.
"Chronic syndromes have heightened depression rates as well," Kloeppel said.
Kloeppel said there have been post-operative studies, which have shown that people with chronic depression have higher pain scores and increased pain sensitivity, which lend support to the group's study.
Sophomore Travis Ewing said when he experiences anxiety, he gets stomach aches and often feels tired.
"School is usually the cause, so I try to ignore the anxiety because you can't just stop going to school," Ewing said. "You just have to grin and bear it."
Freshman Maria Chavez said she usually has no pain associated with anxiety, just an occasional headache.
"At this time of the year, anxiety is high at UNM," said Carol Wagner-Adams of Counseling and Therapy Services.
Wagner-Adams said there are many ways of dealing with anxiety and avoiding depression, including exercising, maintaining regular sleep habits and having three meals a day.
Staying connected with support systems to avoid isolation and practicing spiritual beliefs if you are religious are also helpful, she said.
"I have stomach pains when my anxiety is severe," said UNM senior Treyvon Davis. "The source is not going to go away, so I concentrate on the soul by reading Scriptures and going to church."
