Telomere Shortening and Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

Telomeres are aging biomarkers, as they shorten while cells undergo mitosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether psychiatric disorders marked by psychological distress lead to alterations to telomere length (TL), corroborating the hypothesis that mental disorders might have a deeper impact on our physiology and aging than it was previously thought. A systematic search of the literature using MeSH descriptors of psychological distress (Traumatic Stress Disorder or Anxiety Disorder or depression) and telomere length (cellular senescence, oxidative stress and telomere) was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library and ScienceDirect databases. A total of 56 studies (113,699 patients) measured the TL from individuals diagnosed with anxiety, depression and posttraumatic disorders and compared them with those from healthy subjects. Overall, TL negatively associates with distress-related mental disorders. The possible underlying molecular mechanisms that underly psychiatric diseases to telomere shortening include oxidative stress, inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction linking. It is still unclear whether psychological distress is either a cause or a consequence of telomere shortening.

Automated summary

Through a systematic review of 56 studies, it was found that mental disorders related to psychological distress are negatively associated with telomere length, indicating a potential link between psychological stress and physiological aging. The possible underlying molecular mechanisms causing telomere shortening in psychiatric diseases include oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction.