Depression an allergic reaction?
 

This is an interesting new discovery, could be a massive break through for sufferers of depression, thoughts?

http://i.imgur.com/9bPp8tW.jpg?1

New Research Discovers That Depression Is An Allergic Reaction To Inflammation

New research is revealing that many cases of depression are caused by an allergic reaction to inflammation. Tim de Chant of NOVA writes: “Inflammation is our immune system’s natural response to injuries, infections, or foreign compounds. When triggered, the body pumps various cells and proteins to the site through the blood stream, including cytokines, a class of proteins that facilitate intercellular communication. It also happens that people suffering from depression are loaded with cytokines.” Inflammation is caused by obesity, high sugar diets, high quantities of trans fats, unhealthy diets in general, and other causes.

By treating the inflammatory symptoms of depression — rather than the neurological ones — researchers and doctors are opening up an exciting new dimension in the fight against what has become a global epidemic. Caroline Williams of The Guardian writes: “The good news is that the few clinical trials done so far have found that adding anti-inflammatory medicines to antidepressants not only improves symptoms, it also increases the proportion of people who respond to treatment, although more trials will be needed to confirm this. There is also some evidence that omega 3 and curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, might have similar effects. Both are available over the counter and might be worth a try, although as an add-on to any prescribed treatment – there’s definitely not enough evidence to use them as a replacement.”

Eleanor Morgan of VICE adds: “Cytokines skyrocket during depressive episodes and, in those with bipolar disorder, halt in remission. The fact that ‘normal,’ healthy people can become temporarily anxious or depressed after receiving an inflammatory vaccine — like typhoid — lends further credence to the theory. There are even those who think we should re-brand depression altogether as an infectious disease … Carmine Pariante, a Kings College psychiatrist who is quoted in The Guardian report, says that we’re between five and ten years away from a blood test that can measure levels of inflammation in depressed people. If both Pariante’s estimate and the inflammation-depression theory are correct, we could potentially be just five years from an adequate ‘cure’ for depression.”

You can read much more by visiting The Guardian, VICE, and NOVA. And to learn much more about how food and mood are powerfully connected, be sure to read this fascinating article on Kripalu.org. (Image courtesy of the American Heart Association).

http://www.feelguide.com/2015/01/06/...-inflammation/

Wow... imagine breakthrough in treating depression, what a life-saver that would be for so many people. I've been depressed, we all have from time to time, but I've never suffered from depression, thank God. I know how devastating it can be.

Yeah absolutely. When I feel "depressed" what gets me through is knowing that I'll probably wake up feeling better the next day. I can't even imagine what it must be like to never see that light at the end of the tunnel

I'll wait for the next bit of research that completely disproves this research.

That's a very negative attitude Nedusa :laugh:

LOL... you're a little ray of sunshine this morning!

Sorry...........I'm feeling a bit depressed today.

I dont think i have ever been depressed and bearing in mind my alcohol intake and life its a fecking miracle

You're just a carrier, LT.

Hopefully being depressed and suffering from depression are two very different things because I feel OK most days........

Spring's not too far away, only about four weeks till the clocks go forward. And there are daffs in the shops, they're always cheerful! Hope you feel brighter soon x

:joker:

I don't suffer from 'depression' (as far as I know) but like Livia, I have been 'depressed' at times, but this is a brilliant bit of news. I hope it really does lead to a cure for this debilitating and destructive affliction. I'm now going to read up on this as much as I can.

It's also now very clear that, somehow, LeatherTrumpet must inflame poor Marsh in order to depress him so much? :hehe:

:joker: My depressions on the wane already now. :dance::dance:

Hmmmm, now they need to find a way to stop anti- inflammatory tablets causing kidney failure.
A great step forward I suppose.

True Smudgie. It seems that there is always a 'fly-in-the-ointment'. The prescribed tablets which I took to assist me to stop a lifetime's smoking habit were suspected of causing me to develop type 1 Diabetes, when no such illness runs in my family, and I had never displayed any tendencies towards it.

I'm really pleased you posted this Niamh, recently I was told that my plasma viscosity (blood thickness)was too high, It was thought to be due to a helicobactor pylori infection for which I was given clarithromycin and told that they would make me feel totally rubbish due to the high dose but the opposite happened an I felt amazing!.. better than I had in years, maybe this was due to the anti-nflammatory response? Sadly it didn't last but if I can recreate the effects with food it would be great!
It's all starting to make sense, thanks this should really help me :D

:think:

I'm not sure how this can be true for every instance of depression - why would your immune system suffer from inflammation after you've received bad news, for example? Someone finds out their entire family died in an accident, loses their job and their partner leaves them all in a short space of time: they become depressed but there's no reason for the immune system to have a response to these events, is there? Or is this article saying that anything upsetting is going to cause your immune system to have a reaction?

I think every human brain is unique, and that's why there's no such thing as a "cure" for any mental "disease". It's not like other medical issues where there is an invasive virus, or bacteria or specific malady that is common among all humans, that you can target. The only way to target a mental disease is by targeting the person. I think most mental disease is a personality thing. i think some people just think differently, and sometimes it can be very destructive, to themselves or towards other people.

I don't think there will ever be a true "cure" for personality disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar, autism etc... I think it's always just going to be about managing behavior in order to fit in with the rest of society.

I don't think they're saying it explains all forms of depression, just it could help in some cases where people struggle with it regardless of lifestyle/circumstances.

So more clinical depression rather than a down mood brought on by bad news.

I don't think it's saying that depression caused by an actual event/s fits into this criteria but maybe it's one cause for depression that doesn't seem to have any particular reason?

ETA : Or what Marsh said :hehe:

I wouldn't class grieving as depression, as there's a process that is worked through and the cause is obvious.
Whereas depression has no pattern, rhyme, reason or obvious cause in many cases.
I do actually believe that it's a response to bacterial overload and that's what causes the inflammation dealing with the dieback of the pollutants in the blood, either that or the live bacterial/parasitic invasion is affecting mood and or behaviour in some way.