Depression and anxiety? If you have a deviated septum, it may be caused by  your nose. That’s the conclusion of a recent study, published in the March issue of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, which indicates that nasal deviation affects more than just one’s nose. It can significantly detract from an individual’s quality of life and contribute to depression and disquiet.

Nasal deviation occurs when the septum – the bone and cartilage that separates the nasal airways and divides the two nostrils – leans left or right instead of lying symmetrically. This can block one of the air passages and lead to a number of complaints, including nasal congestion, frequent nosebleeds, frequent sinus infections, and headaches. Patients may also experience sleeping disorders such as snoring or sleep apnea.

Study author Sueli de Lima Ramos and her colleagues argue that the nose, being a central feature of the face, “strongly influences the facial appearance and social impression formation…. The body plays an important role in the self-concept, and body dissatisfaction may be associated with low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, depression and reduced quality of life.”

According to previous studies, patients with nasal deformities have shown changes in personality, becoming more introverted, immature, and more concerned about self-image. Another study showed that “psychological gender differences have been observed in candidates to rhinoplasty. Females with nasal deformities have been found to be egocentric, immature, impulsive, and perfectionists, while male candidates were stubborn, skeptical, pessimists, rigorous and perfectionists.”

Conversely, it’s been found that rhinoplasty candidates reported mental health scores lower than the general population, and that psychologically stable patients experienced “a reduction of anxiety and increase in self-esteem” after their rhinoplasties.