New Research Reveals SIX Different Types of Depression
Treatments for depression may need to undergo major changes because of the latest findings from brain scans.
The world of treatment for depression may be ready for a new way of deciding on treatments thanks to new research with brain scans and cognitive tests. Results from these studies can mean more effective, patient-centered treatments. Now, the emphasis won’t necessarily be on one or two neurotransmitters as before, but treatment would need to consider a range of treatments specifically tailored to an individual patient.
Recently, researchers have found a new type of depression. They call it the “cognitive biotype.” About 27% of people who are depressed have this newly identified type of depression, which is not well treated by widely prescribed antidepressants. We already know about the most prevalent types of depression: major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, SAD, postpartum, and endogenous. But now there may be an additional type of depression that may not be so easily revealed. Doesn’t that make seven?
This latest overall trial had 1,008 patients, with 57 (56.6% of them women) with a mean age of 37.8 years. The imaging substudy had 96 patients, with 45 (46.7% of them women) with a mean age of 34.5 (13.5) years.
