Though depression is one of the most common mental disorders worldwide, it is an extremely complex disease with several causative factors. Since the disease can occur due to a variety of reasons, its treatment methods are also diverse, in accordance with the need of the patient and the severity of the disease. Many medical practitioners try to cure depression using a combination of medications and therapies to ensure that the impact of the treatment is prolonged and effective.

A study published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry in August 2016 has found that treating metabolic deficiencies in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression can help ameliorate the signs of the disorder and, in some cases, even offer a complete respite. The study titled “Correcting metabolic deficiencies may improve depression symptoms” was based on the treatment strategy adopted by Dr. Pan and David Brent, M.D., Endowed Chair in suicide studies at Pitt, for a teenager patient who chronic depression and had also attempted suicide innumerable times.

Biochemical tests on the teenager revealed deficiency of the cerebrospinal fluid biopterin, necessary for the synthesis of several neurotransmitters. Treatment of the adolescent with a product similar to biopterin helped correct the deficiency and alleviate depression symptoms in the patient.

Treating physiological mechanisms underlying depression

In the study, the scientists conducted tests on 33 teenagers and young adults suffering from treatment-resistant depression. The participants were tested for presence of any kind of metabolic abnormalities and were then compared with 16 other teenagers who were not afflicted with the disease.

On comparing with the controlled group, scientists found that 64 percent of depressed patients were afflicted with some kind of deficiency in neurotransmitter metabolic activity, though the nature of deficiencies differed among the participants. The respondents in the controlled population had homogeneous deficiencies.

When the scientists treated the patients for their deficiencies, it was found that there was a marked improvement in their depression symptoms. Based on the observations, the researchers proposed the new method of treating depressive behavior by looking at the nature of metabolic deficiencies and making available necessary treatment.

The new method of treatment has opened a completely new avenue of treating depressed patients on whom other modes of therapeutic interventions have failed. Emphasizing on the impact this new method of treatment showed, one of the co-authors of the study Dr. David Lewis from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the United States said, “What’s really promising about these new findings is that they indicate that there may be physiological mechanisms underlying depression that we can use to improve the quality of life in patients with this disabling illness.”

He also said that the new findings point at the presence of physiological mechanisms in patients suffering from depression, and this discovery can be used to improve the quality of life in patients with this disabling mental disease.

Road to recovery

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and affects millions of people in the U.S. According to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7.6 percent of Americans aged 12 and above experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms during 2009–2012. There is a serious misapprehension that people can just snap out of the dark hole of depression without any medical help. But to get a complete recovery from the debilitating symptoms of depression, it is important to seek medical help at the earliest.

If you or your loved one is suffering from depression, be it mild or chronic, contact the Depression Treatment Centers of California to access information about various depression centers in California. You may call at our 24/7 helpline number 855–678–0400 to know about one of the best depression treatment centers in California.