Dealing with a yeast infection can be very unpleasant. It can cause a lot of stress and thus have a negative effect on your psyche. But the link between yeast infections and mental health is much more complex.
The Research
A recent study set out to investigate the possible link between yeast infections and mental health. The origin of the study is interesting to note. Although the authors had an interest in the topic, it wasn’t their top priority. But after receiving suggestions from people with mental health problems, they decided to tackle the subject.
They surveyed a group of more than 800 people. They then evenly divided them into three groups based on their history of mental illness. One group consisted of people with schizophrenia and another one of people with bipolar disorders. The third was the control group with no history of mental illness.
The authors found that people with a history of mental illness were more likely to have had a yeast infection. Factors like race and age didn’t seem to play a large part in the results. What’s more, the type of mental illness also didn’t seem to affect the findings.
But they did notice that the rate of yeast infections in women was the same across all three groups. According to them, it has to do with the fact that women are more susceptible to infections.
The Takeaway
The authors couldn’t identify the causal link between yeast infections and mental health. But they suspect it has to do with certain lifestyle factors. In the future, they want to examine how Candida infections affect the brain.
Their ultimate goal is to see if certain virulence factors can trigger mental illnesses. If they prove the connection, it could create new hope for millions of people with mental health problems.
