Untreated Depression Could Damage The Brain

A new scientific evidence has emerged showing that years of untreated depression may lead to brain damage.

Findings of a new study published in ‘The Lancet Psychiatry,’ showed evidence of lasting biological changes in the brain in people suffering depression for more than a decade.

This new finding therefore called for a change in thinking about depression and its effects. The evidence affirmed that depression truly is a biologically-based disorder of the brain, and if left unchecked, may run a degenerative course that damages brain tissue, possibly in ways similar to other neuro-degenerative diseases.

Consequently, the researchers suggested that; “All of these places greater emphasis on the need to develop more effective treatments and, as urgently, work towards removing the stigma from those suffering this condition.”

Depression, a major depressive disorder, is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how an individual feels, the way he thinks and how he acts.

Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. Although, depression is treatable, millions of affected persons especially in developing countries, including Nigeria, don’t get treatment majorly because of ignorance, poverty, stigma, among other factors.

Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more than 300 million people affected. It can cause the affected person to suffer greatly and function poorly at work, at school and in the family. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide.

The World Health Orgnaistion (WHO) estimated that close to 800,000 people die yearly worldwide due to suicide every year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-olds.

According to a report from ‘Forbes,’ “Evidence is increasingly pointing to the possibility that depression is not only a biological disorder with immediate implications, but over time, may alter the brain in ways requiring different forms of treatment than what’s available now.”

If long-term depression results in more inflammation, the researchers expected to find more of the protein in the brain of those who had suffered from untreated depression the longest. That’s exactly what they found, with higher levels in a handful of brain areas, including the prefrontal cortex, the brain area central to reasoning and other ‘executive’ functions compromised by disorders like depression.

Senior study author, Dr. Jeff Meyer, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) at the University of Toronto, Canada, said: “Greater inflammation in the brain is a common response with degenerative brain diseases as they progress, such as with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson´s disease.”