Japanese researchers have for the first time investigated in a scientifically sound study, whether there are different types of depressive disorders. In fact, they were able to distinguish three Depression types. One of them is not on the usual medication.
About four million Germans suffer from a depressive disorder. Worldwide, there are more than 300 million. As a depressive, who suffers over a long period of time under heavy mood. Concerned can not get rid of the rule itself out of the hole and slipping instead of weeks, months, or years, deeper and deeper.
The symptoms may include shock, completely independent of external circumstances such as fate, personal problems or Stress occur. Affected feel the Emptiness deep down, are hopeless and unmotivated and usually have trouble peeling yourself out of bed. Often, physical symptoms like head come with Depression or stomach pain, decreased Libido, or sleep disorders.
Help for Depression and family members of the Diseased
- Knowledge, self-test and addresses the topic of Depression: www.deutsche-depressionshilfe.de
- Germany-wide telephone information line Depression 0800 33 44 5 33 (free of charge)
- Professionally moderated Online Forum for the exchange of experience for members and stakeholders: www.diskussionsforum-depression.de
- Advice and exchange for members (including a “SeelenFon”): the Federation of families of mentally Ill www.bapk.de
- Self-help group anxiety – panic – Depression for the person and their family: www.shg-apd.de
- Other self-help groups for Affected persons and relatives, can be found on the website of the German depression League (www.depressionsliga.de) under the “self-help”. A free patient brochure for patients and their families, the Association offers online.
In Depressed Brain metabolism has gotten out of balance
As the reason for these serious changes, researchers have demonstrated that in depressed people the metabolism in the brain in a mess. At least one of the two neurotransmitters Serotonin and norepinephrine is not in the optimum concentration. As a result, the nerve cells can’t communicate properly with each other, and impulses between the brain cells are not transferred correctly.
Today, depressive disorders can be treated quite well. Who rouses itself to one skilled in the art, can be cured with the right treatment methods in most cases, even complete.
30 percent of patients do not benefit from antidepressants
In addition to psycho-therapies medications are often used, at least temporarily. So-called Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are among the most prescribed antidepressants. They should help to bring the neurotransmitter Serotonin in the brain back into balance. In the majority of cases the treatment is successful. But about 30 percent of patients the drugs do not solve the problem.
Why was the scientists so far is a mystery. Japanese researchers may have come to the solution now, however, a large piece of closer.
“This is the first study that identified sub-types of depression on the basis of the life history and nuclear spin data,” said Kenji Doya of the Okinawa Institute of science and technology. He was looking for with a Team of scientists to new approaches in depression research.
For their study, researchers investigated the situations and brain scans life
In their study, 67 people with a depressive disorder, and a further 67 people without depression formed the control group. The researchers tested the 134 participants in the MRI, they were clinical questionnaires to fill out and examined it, after more than 3000 different labels for depression.
In MRI, the researchers studied the functional connectivity in the brain of the subjects. At this point, you could distinguish two groups: a group in which the functional connectivity was rather low, they called it the D3 group; and, when it worked well. These were able to divide the researchers in two groups: one that was in your Childhood victims of abuse and trauma contributed, the researchers called the D1 group, and a group that has suffered no childhood trauma, which they called the D2 group.
Drugs had only two of the three groups
They found that the Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors had only two of the groups. Obviously, the D3 group is one of them, but at the same time, without disruption of the Connections between the different brain regions showed an effect: in the case of those who wore no Trauma from her Childhood, of the D2 group. In the group with childhood trauma, the D1 group showed the Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors but no effect.
“It was always suspected that different types of depression exist. They also affect the effectiveness of the drugs,“ explains scientist Doya.
Further studies are needed
To be able to draw these findings and further conclusions, there is need for further studies with more participants. Of the methodology, the researchers promise, however, is already a lot, and hope, and Health scientists to be able to make a new guideline, may help you to understand the complexity of depression better and your patients can clearly assign.
