A Quarter of Depression Cases May Be Driven by Broken Body Clock, Study Finds

A new study has identified a subtype of depression that may be driven by disruptions to the body’s internal clock, affecting roughly one in four people with the condition.The research, published in the “British Journal of Psychiatry,” analyzed data from 11,380 participants in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study. Researchers found that 2,604 of them — about 23 percent — met the criteria for what they’re calling “circadian depression.”The body’s circadian clock is a built-in 24-hour rhythm that regulates hormones, digestion, mood, and the sleep-wake cycle. When it’s disrupted, the effects can be wide-ranging.“When it’s off, you feel jet-lagged all the time,” lead researcher Ian Hickie told “ScienceAlert.” “You feel tired, you feel exhausted, you gain weight, you can’t concentrate, you sleep poorly, and your behavior changes.”To define circadian depression, the team looked at six markers: whether symptoms shift with the seasons; whether a person’s sleep midpoint (the halfway point between falling asleep and waking up) is delayed compared to most adults; whether sleep timing differs sharply between workdays and days off; whether someone identifies as a strong “evening person;” whether they sleep longer than most people given the chance; and whether they feel especially tired in the morning. People who met at least three of these six markers were classified as having the circadian subtype.Among those with circadian depression, the most common traits were sleeping too much (84 percent) and morning tiredness (83 percent), followed by evening-type tendencies (68 percent).Compared with other participants, people with circadian depression tended to be younger and were more often women. They also reported earlier onset of depression, more severe symptoms — including mania-like and psychosis-like experiences, suicidality, and physical complaints — and weight gain during depressive episodes.“Depression is not a uniform illness, and understanding the characteristics of different subtypes means that we can give people earlier access to treatments that will be most effective for them,” first study author Emiliana Tonini told ScienceAlert.Genetically, this group showed higher risk scores for ADHD, major depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, along with markers tied to metabolism and inflammation — a profile that may help explain why they also face higher risk for cardiovascular problems and conditions like ADHD.Perhaps most notably, participants with circadian depression reported that standard antidepressants worked less well for them and came with more side effects. The two major classes tested, SSRIs and SNRIs, were both less effective in this group compared with other depression patients.Because this subtype appears tied to the body’s internal clock rather than other mechanisms, the researchers suggest that treatments targeting circadian rhythms directly — such as light therapy and melatonin — may be worth exploring as alternatives or add-ons to conventional medication.The researchers note several caveats. The data relied on self-reported surveys, which can be affected by memory and reporting biases. The study was also cross-sectional, meaning it captured a single point in time rather than tracking cause and effect. Only the 10 most common antidepressants in Australia were assessed, and grouping them into broader categories may have hidden some important differences. Participants were limited to those of European genetic ancestry, which may limit how well the findings apply to other populations. The six circadian criteria were also self-reported rather than measured with physiological tests, and the three-marker cutoff used to define the subtype was chosen for this study rather than confirmed by prior research. The authors describe their findings as an initial exploration that needs to be replicated in other, more diverse samples before firmer conclusions can be drawn.

A Quarter of Depression Cases May Be Driven by Broken Body Clock, Study Finds

A Quarter of Depression Cases May Be Driven by Broken Body Clock, Study Finds

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