Australia is inching closer towards treating depression
Aug 22, 2017 9:25:53 GMT 7
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Post by Banjo on Aug 22, 2017 9:25:53 GMT 7
Australia is inching closer towards treating depression
For many Australians, their lives are coloured by the ups and down that come with mental illness.
For one in seven of us, clinical depression will rear its head at some point in our lifetime as the top cause of non-fatal disability in Australia.
“A lot of people are really struggling,” Professor Ian Hickie, Co-Director for Health & Policy at the Brain & Mind Centre in Sydney, told 9news.com.au.
But what does this look like?
“We often talk about depression a bit like how we would talk about a fever or a headache. We use it to describe what is wrong without necessarily understanding the underlying cause,” Professor Hickie said.
“Because it is rather a generic term, the danger is you tend to loop them all together.”
About one in seven Australians will experience clinical depression. (Getty)
About one in seven Australians will experience clinical depression. (Getty)
Professor Hickie is the co-lead investigator of an Australian study attempting to move from the generalised to the specific by pinpointing the genetic pathways that leave some of us more susceptible to the condition than others.
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“What we have now is an inexact science … In truth, there are still a lot of gaps,” he said.
Scientists leading the nation's largest study on depression believe genetics are the key to filling these gaps.
What is clinical depression?
Clinical depression is more than the experience of sadness or stress.
A depressive episode is defined as a period of two weeks or longer where the individual experiences persistent feelings of sadness or loss of pleasure.
“We’re talking about a level of severity, of persistence and impairment indicating the depression has developed a life of its own,” Professor Hickie said.
“Most people, or often someone close to them, will know when something has changed - when they have lost motivation, energy or the capacity to enjoy pleasurable things on a daily basis.
“Everything moves to a state of disturbed equilibrium - not just in the way you think but your entire physiology, from your sleep/wake cycle, to your body clock and your immune system.”
But beyond a syndromal diagnosis lies a range of depressive sub-groups and pathways.
“There is a whole constellation of things that may have been going on, for weeks or months … Classically, people will try and look at what they have inherited, life events or physical illness to get a handle on what they are experiencing,” Hickie said.
“But this is a very inexact science. Currently, we have no brain scans nor blood tests or genetic markers to be able to definitively say to a person that they have a certain type of depression.”
How is it treated?
Professor Hickie refers to current treatment options for clinical depression as a “trial and error approach”.
“At the moment, it is guess work – it is the best effort of doctors and those with lived experience who are attempting to piece together what might be happening,” he said.
Preliminary data from the Australian Genetics of Depression Study, released by Professor Hickie and his team of scientists on Monday, showed two thirds of Australians suffering clinical depression have used multiple antidepressants to manage their condition.
While about 75 percent of the study’s participants reported relief from key symptoms, about 50 percent were prone to side effects, according to Hickie.
“The surprising thing from this was the number of trial and errors – the extent to which people are, despite deriving benefits, still having to live with significant side effects,” he said.
"To date, we have failed to move effectively from the general principles of treating clinical depression to much more personalised and targeted approaches that minimise risk to maximise benefit.
“We want to know whether we can set up a situation where we are able to predict how individuals will respond certain treatments.”
Are genetics the key?
According to lead study investigator Professor Nick Martin, from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, genetics are the key to filling this knowledge gap.
“The link between genetics and clinical depression is very clear. Approximately 20,000 genes make up the human genome. Alterations in some genes cause clinical depression. But right now, we don't know what they are. What we do know, however, is how to find them,” he said.
"We just need a large enough study, performed the right way, to identify them.”
Professor Martin and Professor Hickie are urging more Australians living with mental illness to enrol in the study that requires a total of 20,000 volunteers aged over 18.
“Australians have been incredibly willing to get involved. The more this happens, the quicker we will take back for them, or the next generation, a much better series of solutions and treatments,” Professor Hickie said.
“We have a real chance of cracking this.”
Readers who are seeking assistance can call Lifeline on 131114 or beyondblue on 1300224636.
www.9news.com.au/health/2017/08/21/15/27/what-is-clinical-depression-and-how-is-it-treated
For many Australians, their lives are coloured by the ups and down that come with mental illness.
For one in seven of us, clinical depression will rear its head at some point in our lifetime as the top cause of non-fatal disability in Australia.
“A lot of people are really struggling,” Professor Ian Hickie, Co-Director for Health & Policy at the Brain & Mind Centre in Sydney, told 9news.com.au.
But what does this look like?
“We often talk about depression a bit like how we would talk about a fever or a headache. We use it to describe what is wrong without necessarily understanding the underlying cause,” Professor Hickie said.
“Because it is rather a generic term, the danger is you tend to loop them all together.”
About one in seven Australians will experience clinical depression. (Getty)
About one in seven Australians will experience clinical depression. (Getty)
Professor Hickie is the co-lead investigator of an Australian study attempting to move from the generalised to the specific by pinpointing the genetic pathways that leave some of us more susceptible to the condition than others.
Related Articles
“What we have now is an inexact science … In truth, there are still a lot of gaps,” he said.
Scientists leading the nation's largest study on depression believe genetics are the key to filling these gaps.
What is clinical depression?
Clinical depression is more than the experience of sadness or stress.
A depressive episode is defined as a period of two weeks or longer where the individual experiences persistent feelings of sadness or loss of pleasure.
“We’re talking about a level of severity, of persistence and impairment indicating the depression has developed a life of its own,” Professor Hickie said.
“Most people, or often someone close to them, will know when something has changed - when they have lost motivation, energy or the capacity to enjoy pleasurable things on a daily basis.
“Everything moves to a state of disturbed equilibrium - not just in the way you think but your entire physiology, from your sleep/wake cycle, to your body clock and your immune system.”
But beyond a syndromal diagnosis lies a range of depressive sub-groups and pathways.
“There is a whole constellation of things that may have been going on, for weeks or months … Classically, people will try and look at what they have inherited, life events or physical illness to get a handle on what they are experiencing,” Hickie said.
“But this is a very inexact science. Currently, we have no brain scans nor blood tests or genetic markers to be able to definitively say to a person that they have a certain type of depression.”
How is it treated?
Professor Hickie refers to current treatment options for clinical depression as a “trial and error approach”.
“At the moment, it is guess work – it is the best effort of doctors and those with lived experience who are attempting to piece together what might be happening,” he said.
Preliminary data from the Australian Genetics of Depression Study, released by Professor Hickie and his team of scientists on Monday, showed two thirds of Australians suffering clinical depression have used multiple antidepressants to manage their condition.
While about 75 percent of the study’s participants reported relief from key symptoms, about 50 percent were prone to side effects, according to Hickie.
“The surprising thing from this was the number of trial and errors – the extent to which people are, despite deriving benefits, still having to live with significant side effects,” he said.
"To date, we have failed to move effectively from the general principles of treating clinical depression to much more personalised and targeted approaches that minimise risk to maximise benefit.
“We want to know whether we can set up a situation where we are able to predict how individuals will respond certain treatments.”
Are genetics the key?
According to lead study investigator Professor Nick Martin, from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, genetics are the key to filling this knowledge gap.
“The link between genetics and clinical depression is very clear. Approximately 20,000 genes make up the human genome. Alterations in some genes cause clinical depression. But right now, we don't know what they are. What we do know, however, is how to find them,” he said.
"We just need a large enough study, performed the right way, to identify them.”
Professor Martin and Professor Hickie are urging more Australians living with mental illness to enrol in the study that requires a total of 20,000 volunteers aged over 18.
“Australians have been incredibly willing to get involved. The more this happens, the quicker we will take back for them, or the next generation, a much better series of solutions and treatments,” Professor Hickie said.
“We have a real chance of cracking this.”
Readers who are seeking assistance can call Lifeline on 131114 or beyondblue on 1300224636.
www.9news.com.au/health/2017/08/21/15/27/what-is-clinical-depression-and-how-is-it-treated
