Brain Inflammation and Mental Health
The Connection Between Brain Inflammation and Mental Health
Autoimmune processes, infections, allergies, viruses, and injuries can cause brain inflammation, similar to how those same triggers can cause swelling in other parts of the body. When inflammation occurs in the brain, however, it can cause mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, and mood or behavior changes.
The connection between mental health and brain inflammation is often overlooked by healthcare providers due to siloed medical and psychiatric specialties. This often leads to misdiagnosis, delayed care, or avoiding care all together.
While some medical professionals are beginning to see the link between these diseases, they don’t yet know if inflammation is causing mental illness or if the mental illness is causing the inflammation, since the two are so closely linked. To better educate healthcare providers and patients alike, we need more data and better research.
Our healthcare system is designed to care for each part of the body separately. Illnesses associated with parts of the body, like a specific organ or function, are diagnosed and treated by a specialist in that area.
Looking for Clarity
Did you know viral infections, a seasonal case of strep throat, or even bacteria from an abscessed tooth can lead to brain inflammation and resulting mental health symptoms? Some autoimmune illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, Long COVID, and POTS are now thought to have associations with brain inflammation.
Understanding the connections between brain inflammation and mental health symptoms can be difficult and confusing for families, clinicians, and even researchers. As part of our research, we hope to identify ways to determine when brain inflammation is involved in the triggering of mental health symptoms.
unhide®
We are assembling one of the largest patient-driven data and biospecimen data collection and management resource to uncover findings that drive advancements in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
unhide® is a simple-to-use online digital platform that connects patients and researchers in real-world, patient-centered, longitudinal clinical research. We developed unhide® to reduce the barriers to participating in and conducting clinical research, with an ultimate goal of driving advancements that improve quality of life for for patients.
unhide® tracks patient health stories, symptoms, and life events all in one place. We are focused on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of brain inflammation through our partnerships and research. unhide® also helps patients and families collect and organize their own health information—both for their own use and to share with healthcare providers.
