Depression and anxiety
What is depression?
People with depression often have extreme feelings of sadness or hopelessness that persist for a long time – it is different to just feeling down or fed up with life for a short amount of time. If you have depression, these feelings can last for weeks or months and interfere with your daily life.
- There are different severities of depression, ranging from mild (with only minimal impact on your daily life) to severe (making activities of daily life such as going to work or school, cooking, eating and socialising nearly impossible).
Depression is very common; at least one in every six people becomes depressed at some point during their lives. It often also has physical symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping, tiredness and a loss of energy, change in appetite and weight loss or gain, and physical aches and pains.
Other common types of depression
- Postnatal depression affects mothers anytime between two weeks and two years after giving birth.
- Bipolar disorder is a type of depression where sufferers feel very high, or manic, some of the time, and very low the rest of the time.
- Some people only feel depressed during autumn and winter – this is called seasonal affective disorder and is due to not getting enough daylight.
What is anxiety?
Everyone feels anxious or worried from time to time. But some people may feel worried for long periods of time and find that it interferes with their life and prevents them from doing things.
- This is called generalised anxiety disorder and can be successfully treated. Although the main symptom is persistent worrying, sufferers may also feel restless and unable to relax, very tired, irritable, or find it difficult to concentrate on anything for very long.
As with depression, there are also physical symptoms, including feeling breathless, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, a dry mouth, sweating or feeling sick.
A snapshot of MRC research into depression and anxiety
Several MRC-funded studies aimed at combating depression and anxiety are currently underway. For example:
- Led by Professor Peter McGuffin, the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King’s College London is carrying out interdisciplinary research and training that brings together genetic and environmental strategies to understand the development of behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders. An important focus of the centre is anxiety and depression research.
- Professor Glyn Lewis at the University of Bristol is carrying out a large clinical trial (GENPOD) comparing two different types of antidepressant in patients with depression and assessing whether any genetic, clinical or hormonal factors predict how patients will respond to treatment.
- At the University of Edinburgh, Professor Klaus Embmeier is looking for ways to reduce side effects in patients who are treated for severe depression with electroconvulsive therapy – a controversial treatment that is used as a ‘last resort’.
- Meanwhile, Professor Philip Cohen at the University of Oxford is investigating the role of a brain chemical called 5-HT in recurrent depression and in patients’ responses to treatment.
- Also at Oxford, Dr Catherine Harmer is studying the integration of drug treatment and cognitive behavioural therapy in patients with anxiety disorders.
Useful Links
Depression Alliance A UK charity for people affected by depression. Provides information and support services to those affected and links to a network of self-help groups.
Mind (National Association for Mental Health) A mental health charity in England and Wales that aims to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress. Its website provides information, links to local associations and details of news, campaigns and policies.
BMJ Best Treatments: depression Provides information about which treatments really work and which don't work, based on the best and most up-to-date medical research.
BMJ Best Treatments: anxiety Provides information about which treatments really work and which don't work, based on the best and most up-to-date medical research.
