Assignment on Depression, Inflammation and Women’s Mental Health

Depression, Inflammation and Women’s Mental Health

The relationship between depression and the body’s inflammatory response is becoming increasingly robust, with additional studies revealing an ever-closer association.

It’s been tough to determine if inflammation causes depression, but recent research suggests we’re coming closer to an answer. Higher levels of inflammation in women, in particular, appear to be linked to an underlying disease that promotes depression.

That syndrome is known as anhedonia, which is characterized as a noticeably diminished interest or pleasure in practically all activities by the DSM-5. Anhedonia is a lack of pleasurable sensation for things that used to provide joy to depression patients, such as visiting specific places, participating in social activities, and even eating certain foods.

Women are nearly twice as likely as males to be diagnosed with depression, and anhedonia is a common symptom. The research began there, with the goal of determining if the relationship between inflammation and depression differs in men and women.

The researchers adopted a more direct approach than most other studies in this field, producing inflammation in volunteers with a chemical called endotoxin, which “increases inflammation in a safe, time-limited way,” according to the paper. A placebo was given to the other subjects.

The findings are significant for several reasons. To begin with, they bolster the relationship between inflammation and depression. Although inflammation may not be the cause of all occurrences of depression, the data clearly implies that inflammation has a role in a considerable number of them.

The direction of the “cause arrow” in most studies in this area is unknown, however, it appears that increased inflammation may be causing lower activity in the brain’s reward region in this study.

The findings also contribute to developing awareness of sex differences in depression cases, indicating a need for health providers to pay greater attention to the impact inflammation may play, particularly in the mental health of female patients.

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