Depression gene found

News.com.au ^ | 02/26/2006 | By Clair Weaver and Andrew Chesterton

[oxcart]

IN a world first, researchers from NSW have discovered the gene responsible for depression.

After 25 years' research, scientists have found that people who carry a particular gene are more likely to suffer depression regardless of their life experiences. The medical breakthrough will have major ramifications for diagnosis and treatment of the disease which affects one in four Australians.

The study, to be published in the prestigious British Journal of Psychiatry this week, shows that people who carry a short serotonin transporter gene are predisposed to depression.

Conversely, those who carry a long version of the serotonin transporter gene would be more resilient to whatever life throws at them.

Around 43per cent of the population is believed to carry the short version of the gene.

The breakthrough comes in the wake of a series of recent high-profile cases of depression, including former WA premier Geoff Gallop, the late rugby league legend Steve Rogers and former state opposition leader John Brogden.

Former Australian Olympic swimmer John Konrads and actor Garry McDonald were also sufferers. It is hoped the findings could be used to pre-warn carriers of their susceptibility and take early preventative treatment.

Mr Konrads described the breakthrough as exciting.

"I think it's wonderful to think that people who might have that doubt could confidentially find if they're conducive to depression or not, that would be fantastic," he said.

The serotonin transporter gene, which is responsible for our uptake of "feel good" serotonin and mood control, has been implicated in depression before - but this is the first and most conclusive evidence of its true role.

[vimto]

Yes indeed - I know about Abe - another hero of mine (I love reading about your Civil War). I guess many others as well.

Kind regards!

[DannyTN]

"Quietly obtain a blood sample and have a lab run the gels."

I'll have my assistant, Igor, get right on that.

[sweetiepiezer]

Here is a site that has a lot of facts about effexor.
http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/venlafaxine.html
Please, if you get off it make sure it is under doctors supervision.
Please take best care.

[oxcart]

Sorry you have that attitude...but hey this is FR right?

[Melas]

Agreed. I suppose if there is a depression gene, then I must have a happy gene. Both notions are laughable. Emotionally traumatic events such as the death of my parents aside, I was depressed briefly at one point in my life. It had nothing to do with genes. I was living in BFE without a friend to my name, in social hell. I rectified the problem my moving back to civilization and immediately went back to hunky-dorey.

[VeritatisSplendor]

A very good book from a Christian viewpoint is Depression: A Stubborn Darkness, by Edward T. Welch.

Mrs VS

[norraad]

"What hump?"

Young Frankenstein

[VeritatisSplendor]

A very good book from a Christian viewpoint is Depression: A Stubborn Darkness, by Edward T. Welch.

Mrs VS

[Cogadh na Sith]

People who like people and socialize, tend not to be depressed.

Nah. People who are depressed don't solcialize.

It runs in my family as well. I ended up in a terrible bout of depression while I was an Army officer in '94.

My last resort before shooting myself was to go to the Army shrink. Believe me, that took more courage than shooting myself.

He put me on an antidepressant and it kept me from shooting myself.

It's a very, very real thing and it will kill you it it can.

[vimto]

Yes totally agree. I think it is possible to say:

- this depression isn't my fault but it is my responsibility.

in the same way diabetes wouldn't be my fault but living with it would be my responsibility.

As someone said "problems are inevitable misery is optional.

- we used to say there were 3 types who come into the psychiatric field

the mad, bad and sad.

kind regards.

[vimto]

Actually both types can get depressed - the first type tend to have ideas of being useless the latter group of guilt.

There is something about the world that prefers extroverts. I thought about being one once but I could be bothered.

[vimto]

Opps my reply should have read.,...
Actually both types can get depressed - the first type tend to have ideas of being useless the latter group of guilt.

There is something about the world that prefers extroverts. I thought about being one once but I couldn't be bothered.

[Melas]

Sorry, depression is as convenient a diagnosis as ADD is these days. I realize that chemical depression is real, but I'm willing to bet you that it accounts for less than 1% of cases of depression diagnosis in 2006.

[DallasMike]

Emotionally traumatic events such as the death of my parents aside, I was depressed briefly at one point in my life. It had nothing to do with genes.

You had a brief period of situational depression, and understandably so. Imagine though having to living with a depression worse than that one every day of your life no matter what your situation was. That's clinical depression. It bears no relationship to happiness.

Clinically depressed people can be happy or unhappy. That's the part that's at least somewhat controllable about the disease. Similarly, there are plenty of very unhappy people who aren't clinically depressed at all.

The problem that many people have is equating depression with unhappiness. The two don't necessarily correlate with one another. In fact, I would argue that depression is more often the cause of unhappiness than the other way around.

Stingray:  Conservative Christian News and Commentary

[Tax Government]

It was surprising to me that a tiny, tiny, TINY bit of the St. John's wort herb -- much MUCH less than in a capsule -- mixed in water, taken only occasionally, can affect mood considerably.

I believe we as a group are using our brains far more than our distant ancestors. As a result, our brains are often suffering from something akin to a sports injury due to overuse.

[Melas]

Nah. People who are depressed don't solcialize.

Works both ways I guess. I once found myself in an environment where I was damned near alien in manners, interests and priorities to everyone else in the community, and yes, it was depressing. There was nothing wrong with me though, I was depressed because I was essentially lonely with only my wife for company. The situation was easily rectified with a ticket out of redneckville.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Sorry, depression is as convenient a diagnosis as ADD is these days.

I agree. You can tell the ones that weren't faking it when they kill themselves.

Of course then it's, um, too late....

[Melas]

There is something about the world that prefers extroverts.

lol, of course the world prefers extroverts! We're the ones that make life interesting.

[Melas]

I think I've come across poorly here. I don't mean to argue against clinical depression. I grant you that clinical depression does indeed exist, and I freely grant that the only effective treatment is to treat the neuro-chemical imbalance.

What I am saying that is that depression is now vying to be one of the most over-diagnosed diseases, ever. It's likely surpassed even false diagnosis of ADD in normally active children.

[vimto]

"There is something about the world that prefers extroverts.
lol, of course the world prefers extroverts! We're the ones that make life interesting."

"There is something about the world that prefers extroverts. I thought of being one once but I couldn't be bothered. "

You might make the world interesting but you've got no eye for irony.

Eyeore was much misunderstood. I would have throttled tigger...

Kind regards.