A new study has disproved the theory that depression may be caused by stress.
Researchers used rats bred to be severely depressed to study brains response to stress. After exposing the animals to chronic stress for two weeks, they compared changes in the genes commonly associated with depression with the stress-related genes.
The studys author, Eva Redei, says that if the “stress causes depression” theory was correct, there should have been a significant overlap in the two sets of genes, but there wasnt. In fact, she says only 5 genes out of 254 genes related to stress and 1,275 genes related to depression overlapped. “This finding is clear evidence that at least in an animal model, chronic stress does not cause the same molecular changes as depression does,” she said.
The studys results are believed to be applicable to humans since the parts of the brain that are associated with depression are extremely similar in both rats and humans.
Redei says her findings also explain why antidepressants are often ineffective. “The medications have been focusing on the effect, not the cause. Thats why it takes so long for them to work and why they arent effective for so many people,” she notes.
containing St. Johns wort and gingko biloba are commonly used to treat the symptoms of depression, according to WebMD. In addition, alternative therapies like acupuncture, massage therapy, hypnosis and relaxation techniques are believed to be helpful. 