The type of depression you suffer from can affect the health of your body in the future

Over seven years, researchers followed 5,794 adults who participated in the Dutch Obesity Epidemiology (NEO) study. None of the participants had diabetes or cardiovascular disease when the study began. Each person completed a detailed questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms. Based on these responses, researchers have identified two main types of depression: one characterized by “melancholic” features (including early morning awakening and loss of appetite) and one characterized by “atypical/energy-related” features (such as fatigue, increased sleep, and increased appetite).

During the study, about 8% of participants developed a cardiovascular disorder. However, the specific illness that appears depends on the type of depression they suffer from. Individuals with “atypical/energy-related” depression were approximately 2.7 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without depressive symptoms, but did not face a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

In contrast, participants with “Sudanese” depression were about 1.5 times more likely to have cardiovascular disease (including heart attack or stroke) than those without depression, but they did not have a significantly greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Lead researcher Dr. Yuri Milanski (Amsterdam UNC) explained:

“Further metabolomic analysis revealed that patients with atypical/energy-related symptoms showed disturbances in the inflammatory and metabolic processes associated with cardiovascular health. This biological signature was not seen in those with ‘sad’ symptoms, suggesting biochemical differences in the way different types of depression relate to cardiovascular health.”

We already know that not all depression is the same, but this means we may need to consider how the type of depression someone has affects different areas of their physical health. It moves us very much towards the idea of ​​precision psychiatry – the idea that we need to look for physical correlations with mental health profiles, so that we can better treat mental illness. To treat patients individually.”

Commenting on this, Dr. Chiara Fabbri (from the University of Bologna) said:

“Preventing and treating physical conditions in depressed people is just as important as treating depression. These physical conditions are common and are expected to increase. For example, the number of people with diabetes (66 million) in the euro area will see a 10% increase by 2050 according to the International Diabetes Federation. A healthcare priority is the prevention and diagnosis of cardio-metabolic diseases early, and continue to improve monitoring and treatment. “This study of the NEO group provides important, valuable data on how to do this better for people with depressive symptoms.”

Dr. Fabry was not involved in this work; This is an independent comment.