What If Depression Actually Causes Other Diseases?

“When it happens, I just want to be alone. It’s like cancer eating through my soul, a deafening silence, the absence of all that once felt good or right.” I asked a friend what depressive disorder felt like; this was her answer.

Over 300 million people suffer from depression, making it one of the most common mental disorders worldwide. Nearly 800,000 people die from suicide each year and although treatments exist, just 10% of patients receive care for depression.

People who live with major depression often describe it as a “dull” or “numb” sensation. Some say they feel “trapped”; as if they’re “drowning”; they’re controlled by their thoughts. For others, it is nothing but “darkness”.

Depression can have a profound effect on the lives of sufferers, their partners, and families. And as if the emotional burden wasn’t enough, depressive disorder may be a risk factor for several other conditions.

For the first time, researchers have identified a causal link between depression and 20 other diseases based on genetic evidence. Scientists at the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute analyzed the genetic risk scores for depression and 925 diseases in over 330,000 individuals. Their findings are ground-breaking.