Hopelessness, sleep disorders, stress, exhaustion, indifference: around one in five women and one in eight men suffer from depression at least once in their lives. For most people it is triggered by problems in their private and professional lives. Scientists have long been aware that mental illness can also lead to physical complaints such as headaches and stomach aches.
Cure depression: Antibiotic can calm the activated immune system
But now doctors have also discovered that the immune system is activated in people who suffer from severe depression. It is not yet clear whether the immune system triggers the depression, or vice versa - the depressive state activates the immune system. In any case, the researchers assume that if they calm the immune system, stress will also be successfully reduced and patients will feel better. This treatment is only an option for severe depression that cannot be treated with conventional medicines. Tests are currently being carried out with minocycline, an anti-inflammatory antibiotic. Animal experiments also give hope that one will soon happennew treatment methodwill be available. Test results for patients with sclerosis have been available for two years; back then, inflammation in the brain was successfully treated and those affected felt better after the end of therapy.
New study gives hope
Furthermore, researchers from Melbourne, Australia, in collaboration with their colleagues from Deakin University, conducted a study with 144 test subjects in 2017. All test subjects had suffered from severe depression for years. Half received a placebo, the others were treated with the antibiotic minocycline. The results of the treatment were inconclusive. The drug had similar effects to antidepressants and could potentially replace expensive drugs. In addition, antibiotic therapy is available for anyone for whom traditional treatment does not prove effective. Around a fifth of patients do not respond to conventional medication. The effects of the drug are also being tested in Germany. You can find out more in the video above.
About the studyof Australian universities
