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  3. The Evidence Is In: Depression Might Not Be Linked to Low Serotonin After All

The Evidence Is In: Depression Might Not Be Linked to Low Serotonin After All

User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 July 29th, 2022

"A new review of prior research on depression is causing a stir in the medical community. Led by University College London (UCL), scientists found no clear evidence that serotonin levels or serotonin activity are responsible for depression.

A Closer Look at the Review


Research comparing levels of serotonin and its breakdown products in the blood or brain fluids did not find a difference between people diagnosed with depression and healthy control (comparison) participants. The team also analyzed studies involving hundreds of participants whose serotonin levels were artificially lowered by withdrawing the amino acid required to make serotonin from their diets.

Several large studies looked at gene variation, including the serotonin transporter gene, but they identified no difference in the genes of people with depression and healthy controls.

Many studies considered how stressful life events impact the risk of depression and found that people who had experienced more stressful life events were more likely to have depression.

What Does This Mean for Depression Care?


The bottom line is that we can't say for certain that antidepressants work in the way that most people have been led to believe, says Moncrieff. He points out that this is why there are different classes of antidepressants that work on other neurotransmitters, plus other treatments such as psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and electroconvulsive therapy.

A New Understanding of Depression?

"There is strong evidence that adverse life events, such as divorce, poverty, debt, loneliness, child abuse, unemployment, etc, make people more vulnerable to depression," Moncrieff says. "What this means is that we should stop seeing depression as a medical condition and view it as a human reaction. Of course the brain is involved in depression, as it is involved in all our moods and actions. But that does not mean that we can find the origin of depression in the brain, or even a part of its origin."

Mental health treatment that is tailored to each individual is key, Moncrieff says, because every case involves a different set of difficult circumstances.

Read the complete article available at Very Well Mind!

Reflection:

What are your thoughts on this groundbreaking discovery?

*I'm interested to see how this would affect the treatment of depression. Since SSRIs have been used prior to this discovery, would new methods to treat depression arise? How effective would they be? Why do SSRIs work for some people? I have many questions.*

#Depression #Serotonin #Research

3
User Profile: globalBraid3744
globalBraid3744 July 30th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463

I can relate to your thoughts! I have mixed feelings about this discovery. It is difficult for me to see depression as simply a human reaction as it significantly affects the life of the person. I have so many questions about what will be real-life implications when it comes to the treatment.


User Profile: toughTiger6481
toughTiger6481 July 30th, 2022

Hopefully this brings awareness that pills are not always the answer

and I wonder what these drugs altering levels have done long term.. now that it is show did not work as assumed.


User Profile: sunnyWriting4806
sunnyWriting4806 July 30th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463

This is definitely ground-breaking research that shakes the assumptions of a lot of what drives psychiatric medicine and care right now. If true, it definitely requires some consideration on how we approach treating depression.

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