Depression & hEDS/HSD
Depression in Hypermobility: Distinct From Anxiety, Often Overlooked
None of us writing this are doctors. This page collects what the published research actually says about depression in hEDS/HSD, so you have something concrete to bring to a doctor.
Anxiety gets most of the research attention when people talk about hypermobility and mental health. Depression has been studied far less - but the research that does exist suggests it may be just as common, and worth screening for on its own terms.
How Common Is Depression in HSD/hEDS?
A 2025 study followed 59 people with HSD or hEDS referred to a specialized connective tissue disorder clinic, who completed the PHQ-9 depression screening questionnaire, along with anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and fatigue scales. The average PHQ-9 score was 11.2, in the moderate depressive symptom range, and 53% of participants (31 of 59) met the threshold for clinically significant depressive symptoms.
The study specifically notes that while generalized anxiety is already recognized as common in HSD/hEDS, depression has been much less studied as its own condition - this is one of the first studies to look at it directly rather than as a footnote to anxiety research. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with higher fatigue and higher pain catastrophizing (a pattern of magnifying and feeling helpless about pain), suggesting depression here is closely tied to the physical burden of the condition rather than existing independently of it.
What to do with this
If you have hEDS or HSD, this research supports asking to be screened for depression specifically, not just anxiety - a PHQ-9 questionnaire is quick and something most doctors can administer directly. Because depressive symptoms here were linked to fatigue and pain catastrophizing specifically, addressing pain management and pacing (covered elsewhere on this site) may be a relevant part of a broader treatment approach, alongside standard depression care.