New scientific research has revealed that depression can potentially cause severe brain damage, reinforcing the importance of early diagnosis and treatment amongst sufferers.
A three-year study of 38 patients admitted to a psychiatric ward with serious depression found that grey-matter loss in key areas of the brain — the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulum and hippocampus — seemed associated with more severe outcomes of depression.
High resolution images were taken of the patients’ brains at the time of admittance into hospital and then every subsequent year for three years. The research, which was published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal, found those who remained ill experienced more grey-matter loss than those whose depression improved. They also experienced more grey-matter loss than those of 30 healthy people whose brains were also monitored for the study. It was also revealed that the patients with the worst cases of depression were less likely to make a good recovery.
Dr. Thomas Frodl of the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, who headed up the study, said the findings reinforced the importance of early diagnosis, and that prompt treatment — whether by antidepressants or psychotherapy — could be vital in preventing permanent brain damage. He said it was therefore crucial that treatment should begin as soon as possible after a person becomes ill.
Although previous studies have indicated similar findings, Dr Frodl’s research is the first of its kind to be carried out over a longer time period. It is also the first study to demonstrate how brain changes occur in relation to depression, and correlate to its severity.
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