15% of the population is likely to experience depression during their lifetime and nearly 6% has experienced a major depressive episode in the past 12 months, according to the World Health Organization. Women are the first victims, insofar as they are twice as affected as men. This condition, too often trivialized, is misdiagnosed and frequently poorly supported. Some are never treated, others always receive antidepressants, not always effective.
- Inflammation of the brain involved
Not all depressions develop on the same soil and do not have the same impact on the body. The most severe forms, for example, are often associated with significant inflammation of the brain. In this case, conventional antidepressants have little beneficial effect. By analyzing blood samples from 200 known depressives, UK researchers identified two reliable predictive markers.
- Custom orders
Their study, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, shows that these molecules predict in two-thirds of the patients the response to antidepressants, at the first signs of alert (loss of motivation, difficulty concentrating, inability to take decisions). Ideal to improve the screening and muzzle the malaise before it settles durably.
