Can depression cause osteoporosis?

[Studies indicate that a link exists and that the risk of bone disease is further increased by behaviour and medication, "One theory is that stress hormones released during depression may play a role ... The other theory is that if you suffer a bone fracture, your quality of life goes down. The question is, is it causal?" ]

In the feel-good French movie Amélie, audiences are introduced to an eccentric old character held hostage by his home and his own body. He's dubbed "The Glass Man."

Raymond Dufayel was born with bones as brittle as crystal. All the furniture in his Parisian apartment is padded, explains the narrator, and a simple handshake could crush his fingers. He's been trapped inside his home for 20 years and leads a small, lonely life.

In the 2000 thriller Unbreakable, a comic book specialist played by Samuel L. Jackson, nicknamed "Mr. Glass," is convinced he's found a real-life superhero in an unremarkable security guard played by Bruce Willis. His obsession is fuelled by his own crystalline skeleton and a villainous drive to find purpose for his lonesome, handicapped life.

Tall tales from cinematic imaginations? Of course. Entirely without foundation? Not so for those suffering from osteoporosis.

When Debbie Howe suffered a spinal fracture after bending over to pick up her baby, she was housebound for six months, and told she had the bones of 75-year-old woman. Six weeks later, she broke another vertebra from raising her arms over her head to shampoo her hair. She was 36 at the time.

"Those were some pretty grey days," Howe, now 57, said in her King City home.

Over the last decade or so, the relationship between depression, the use of antidepressants and osteoporosis has been the subject of a growing body of research.

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Anti-depressants weaken elderly bones

Two studies published add to growing evidence the most popular class of drugs taken to treat depression may contribute to fragile bones in elderly people.

The research focused on a class of antidepressant drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Millions of people, including many elderly, take these drugs, known as SSRIs, which include Eli Lilly's Prozac, known generically as fluoxetine.

Two teams of researchers found that older men and women taking SSRIs had more bone loss than those not taking the drugs, which account for more than 60 percent of U.S. antidepressant drug prescriptions. A drop in bone mass can lead to osteoporosis and bone fractures.

A team led by Dr. Susan Diem of the University of Minnesota tracked 2,722 women, average age 78, including 198 SSRI users. They measured their bone mineral density five years apart

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Depression + osteoporosis link still unclear

Older women who take certain antidepressants are at increased risk of fracturing a bone, but it's not clear whether the association is due to the drugs, depression itself, or some other factor, according to a new report in the Harvard Women's Health Watch.

Nevertheless, while women shouldn't stop taking antidepressant drugs for the sole reason of protecting their bones, those who suffer from depression should get their bone mineral density checked out, the report's authors state.

READ MORE @ REUTERS