Depression doesn’t affect everyone in the same way — and now scientists say it may influence physical health differently, too.
In a seven-year study of nearly 6,000 adults, researchers found that certain types of depression are linked to specific diseases.
New Insights Into Depression and Physical Health
Scientists have long recognized that depression can raise the risk of metabolic disorders. Recent findings now show that different forms of depression are tied to different cardiometabolic diseases. These results were presented at the ECNP Congress in Amsterdam.
Study Tracks Nearly 6,000 Adults Over Seven Years
Researchers followed 5,794 adults taking part in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) Study. None of the participants had diabetes or cardiovascular disease when the project began. Each person completed an extensive questionnaire that evaluated symptoms of depression. Based on these responses, the team identified two main depression profiles: one marked by “melancholic” features (such as early morning awakening and reduced appetite), and another characterized by “atypical/energy-related” features (such as fatigue, increased sleep, and increased appetite).
Different Depression Types Predict Different Disease Risks
During the follow-up period, about 8% of the participants developed a cardiometabolic condition. The type of disease that appeared varied with the form of depression they experienced. People with “atypical/energy-related” symptoms were approximately 2.7 times more likely to develop Type-2 diabetes than those without depressive symptoms. This group did not show a meaningful rise in cardiovascular disease.
Those with “melancholic” symptoms showed a different pattern. They were around 1.5 times more likely to experience cardiovascular disease (such as a heart attack, or stroke) compared with individuals without depressive symptoms, but they did not have a significant increase in Type-2 diabetes.
Biological Differences Offer Clues
Lead researcher Dr. Yuri Milaneschi (Amsterdam UNC) explained:
“Further metabolic analysis revealed that patients with the atypical/energy-related symptoms showed disruptions in inflammatory and metabolic processes linked to cardiometabolic health. This biological signature was not seen in those with “melancholic” symptoms, suggesting biochemical differences in the way that different types of depression link to cardiovascular health.
“We already knew that not all depressions are the same, but this means that we may need to consider how the type of depression someone has impacts different areas of their physical health. It very much pushes us towards the idea of precision psychiatry – the idea that we need to look for physical associations with mental health profiles, so that we can better treat mental illness. To treat sufferers individually.”
Expert Perspective on Prevention and Care
Commenting, Dr. Chiara Fabbri (of the University of Bologna) said:
“The prevention and treatment of physical diseases in people with depression are not less important than the treatment of depression. These physical conditions are common and expected to raise, for example the number of people with diabetes (66 million) in the EUR Region will see a 10% increase by 2050 according to the International Diabetes Federation. It is a health care priority to prevent cardiometabolic diseases, diagnose them early, and continue to improve monitoring and treatment. This study on the NEO cohort provides highly valuable data on how to do this better for people suffering from depressive symptoms.”
Meeting: 38th ECNP Congress
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