The brain works in mysterious ways – PTSD and Auto-immune Disease
Table of Content
In recent years, medical research into PTSD and auto-immune disease has revealed that there is an undeniable link between them. They all point towards trauma. The trauma in question could be physical or psychological. Patients who are diagnosed with auto-immune diseases appear to be victims of trauma in some capacity, particularly in their childhoods. Interestingly, suppression of natural emotions is also perceived by the body as trauma or stress. Inflammation appears to be a common factor that links acute stress and auto-immune conditions. According to psychiatrists, chronic stress awakens the body’s immune response in a way that science has not yet fully understood. What is even more puzzling is that the perceived threat is our own healthy cells.
What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in people who have lived through a traumatic event. The trauma could be physical or emotional in nature, and affect mental, physical, social or spiritual health. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war, sexual assault, life-threatening accidents and intimate partner violence are all examples of trauma that could result in serious PTSD for the survivor. People with PTSD suffer from disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their trauma. They may experience flashbacks and nightmares related to the traumatic incident. Psychiatrists believe people suffering from PTSD often live in a state of perpetual fear, sadness or anger. They also tend to avoid people, places and activities that remind them or their trauma at any cost. They can also be highly reactive to situations and tend to be irritable and self-destructive.
What are Autoimmune Diseases?
The immune system is supposed to attack bacteria, parasites, viruses and cancer cells to protect your body from diseases. An autoimmune disease is caused when the immune system starts accidentally attacking your own cells instead of foreign cells. It’s unclear why the immune system does this, but the research is ongoing. At present, there are over 100 known autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Some autoimmune diseases appear to have a genetic cause, but this is still being investigated. Autoimmune diseases cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Women have higher rates of autoimmune diseases than men.
The connection between PTSD and Autoimmune diseases
As in-depth research was being conducted into PTSD and Autoimmune diseases independently, a common thread emerged – PTSD commonly co-occurs with Autoimmune conditions. These patients appear to have highly elevated inflammation markers, including C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor -alpha. Almost all patients who suffer from autoimmune diseases have experiences of acute stress or trauma in their past. It is important to note here that stress is relative. What one person considers stressful or traumatic is not necessarily perceived that way by everyone.
Patients suffering from PTSD do not always get the help and counselling they need. In many cases, this causes them to internalise the event. Many patients who suffer from PTSD blame themselves for circumstances beyond their control. They ruminate on their negative thoughts. The extreme suffering they experience after the trauma is as impactful as their original trauma. The prolonged suffering takes a toll on the body as much as it does the mind.
Trauma exposure and prolonged stress also result in glucocorticoid receptor resistance (GCR). This makes immune cells less sensitive to glucocorticoid hormones give the body signals to reduce inflammation. This also contributes to chronic inflammation. PTSD patients are in a constant state of “hyper-arousal” and hypervigilance. This affects the functioning of their endocrine, nervous and immune systems. Stress hormones are released in excess. This has been linked to immune system dysfunction and autoimmune conditions.
Stress causes inflammation, and chronic inflammation is one of the main symptoms of most autoimmune diseases. The inflammation response is an important component of the body’s defence against infections. When a threat is detected, innate immune cells spring into action and produce inflammatory cytokines. These immune cells and cytokines become concentrated in the region that they perceive as the threat, causing swelling. Adaptive immune cells like T-cells also arrive at the locations of inflammation. Scientists are now investigating how stress could cause an inflammatory response where there is no threat. We need a deeper understanding of what the mind perceives as a threat and how this is translated by the body.
Case studies – The notes of Dr. Gabor Mate
Dr. Gabor Mate is a renowned addiction expert who has studied the relationship between trauma, addiction and stress deeply. His interviews with multiple autoimmune disease and chronic illness afflicted patients have led to some interesting conclusions published in his book “The Myth of Normal”. These findings have been the basis of more in-depth research in this field.
Dr. Gabor noticed that most of his chronically ill patients had a traumatic childhood. They did not feel understood, supported or loved as children. He calls this a “psychic wound”, a painful emotional trauma sustained from neglect and abuse. He emphasises that it is not merely the event, or what was done to them, but also how they internalised it.
He also noted that most people afflicted with autoimmune diseases are “nice” people. He presents an interesting story of a group of nurses at the Cleveland Clinic in the 90s. This group of nurses noticed that all the patients who were diagnosed with ALS were very “nice”, pleasant, uncomplaining and unassertive. They even began predicting (with a reasonable degree of accuracy), which of the patients who came to be diagnosed had ALS before the test results even returned, based mainly off how “nice” they were. As Dr. Mate goes on to analyse, this is because their “niceness” is a repression of their anger. These patients have a tendency to sacrifice their needs for others and suppress their anger for social acceptance. They pay for this quite dearly.
Dr. Gabor Mate’s analysis is hard to refute. His ideas also explain why women appear to be inordinately affected by autoimmune diseases compared to men. Women have historically been conditioned to passively accept their fates and appear well-behaved despite their real feelings. This is common across most cultures in the world. Women’s stress is also overlooked in society. Their anxieties are deemed silly and and unimportant in a patriarchal, male-dominated world. Our women are silently bearing the brunt of it. This suggests that autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses are influenced by the way our human societies are structured, something that is well outside of the individual’s control. This is a larger systemic issue that the individual pays for with their life.
Miles to go before we sleep…
The hypothesis we have presented in this article is still just that – a hypothesis. We have presented strong indicators that point us in a certain direction, but we are yet to deeply understand the link between PTSD and autoimmune diseases. For now, all we know is that there is a clear link between the 2, but research has not yet established whether it is a causal relationship, i.e. whether high levels of stress directly cause autoimmune conditions.
At Kauvery Hospital, we’re committed to demystifying health and well-being. With branches dotted across Tamil Nadu in Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Trichy, our multi-disciplinary team is ever ready to provide top-notch medical services. We remain committed to staying at the forefront of medical knowledge and breakthroughs like the one between PTSD and autoimmune diseases. Your health is our priority, no matter how complex the issue!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can PTSD cause autoimmune diseases?
While PTSD doesn’t directly cause autoimmune diseases, studies show a strong link between trauma, chronic stress, and immune system dysfunction.
How does stress affect the immune system?
Chronic stress can trigger inflammation and weaken immune response, increasing the risk of autoimmune conditions.
What are common autoimmune diseases linked to stress?
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis have shown correlations with stress and trauma in several studies.
Why are women more affected by autoimmune diseases?
Biological factors and societal roles, including emotional suppression, may contribute to higher autoimmune rates in women.
Who is Dr. Gabor Mate and how is he connected to this topic?
Dr. Gabor Mate is a physician known for exploring the connection between trauma, stress, and chronic illness, including autoimmune disorders.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai Alwarpet – 044 4000 6000 • Chennai Vadapalani – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
