Why in my orthopedic dr notes, does the dr say "8 yr of depression which is important"? do dr's try to link even ortho maladies to psychology origin

It is important: A person is more than his or her body. The mind and emotions do affect the body and vice versa. Depression can affect how your orthopaedic condition affects you, and if the ortho problem is painful, it can impact your depression. So your orthopaedist was being thorough to note your other conditions. It is not saying, "it is in your head.".

Yes and no: Depression can exacerbate any condition, but that does not mean the condition is caused by the depression. "depression"is a very real condition which may cause severe impairment in daily functioning. Unfortunately, the word is also used to describe a very transient state of mind (sadness) which is a normal emotion.

Depression: This is not unusual when taking a thorough medical history, both medical as well as psychiatric. Does not necessarily mean a correlation exists. Same thing when we take history, we list both.

Emotions impact on: Physical health and visa versa. Good physicians care about both and take both into account in diagnosing and treating the physical illnesses that their patients report to them about. Depression can impact on your physical health. It can also impact on pain thresholds and tolerance. You should be glad that your doctor is concerned about your physical and mental health.

Origins vs component: If your doctor is taking a comprehensive history, all aspects of your life matter -- including your level of depression. This doesn't mean doctors believe depression to be the origin of an orthopedic complaint. I agree with others who've mentioned the relationship between pain and depression. Also depression can affect recovery ; healing from surgery, as well as desire to participate in pt, etc.

Pain?: One possible answer to your question involves how much pain you might have been in at one time due to orthopedic issues. When one is in enough pain for a long enough period of time one can be at high risk for anxiety and depression.