In this webinar, presented by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and hosted by MQ’s own Director of Research and Development Partnerships, Emily Wheeler, we hear from some experts talk about the latest developments in the area of depression research.
Michael Browningprofessor of Computational Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, spoke about his research into the mechanisms and treatment of depression, and his work running a clinic for people with difficult-to-treat depression.
Barney Dunn The Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Exeter told us more about his work to develop more effective psychological therapies for depression.
The webinar covers a variety of different advances in research, from trials being conducted with psilocybin and other psychedelics to reducing inflammation, using social prescribing, and understanding the socioeconomic influences that can increase the risk of depression.
Professor Dunn spoke about research into anhedonia, or a lack of interest, pleasure or enjoyment in life experiences, which is a common symptom experienced by people with depression.
“So we’ve been doing a lot of basic scientific work to understand what the psychological and brain mechanisms are that lead to deficits in motivation, pleasure, and the ability to learn from good things and use them to develop novel therapies.” Dunn says.
“One we’re working on right now is called augmented depression therapy or ADepT and it basically helps people find ways to reconnect with what’s important to them and enjoy it. In initial and pilot testing, we’re showing that “It seems to have promising effects compared to CBT.”
Adept was followed at the Center for Mood Disorders at the University of Exeter and the study was funded by the NIHR.
An important question facing researchers is how we can prevent the development of depression in the first place.
“We often feel miserable because our social and material circumstances are not very good and that could not be more evident than the world we find ourselves in right now.” Dunn says.
“People have to choose between keeping warm or eating children, not being able to get on a real estate ladder and an environmental crisis that worries people. I think all of those social factors contribute significantly to the risk of depression, but also to the maintenance of depression. The interesting question of a [ ] The treatment providers’ point of view is where can you intervene with that? [ ] I would start by going back to the Sure Start initiative that the Labor government funded around the millennium, which was basically taking in high-risk people at the stage of becoming parents so that their children have the best start in life. Because we know that the period just before people are born determines their mental health risk, and the way they are raised for the first 3 or 4 years makes a big difference. So we could really intervene there. [ ] so that the next generation has a better start and intergenerational transmission is blocked.”
The impact that poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunity can have on our mental health are the subject of a recent call to action from the Mentally Healthier Nations project. Of which MQ is a supporter. Led by the Center for Mental Health, the Mentally Healthier Nations report is a call for all political parties to prioritize the nation’s mental health as part of their election manifesto commitment.
The evidence presented in this report is the product of in-depth research and is testament to the importance of investing in mental health research if we want us all to lead happier, healthier lives.
“Overall, it’s a really exciting time [In depression research] because for many years we have had a fairly small number of treatments and there hasn’t really been much innovation with new approaches. But there are a lot of new things that are authorized or being investigated at the moment.” Professor Browning.
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