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New treatments for depression have sidelined antidepressants
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Currently, new methods are used in the treatment of depression, which have pushed antidepressants into the background.
Currently, not only medications are used to treat severe depressive states, but also electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, cognitive behavioral therapy to combat stress, etc.
The authors of the new research project, Julie Alderson (professor and chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Loyola University Chicago) and Murali Rao (MD), believe that in order to treat depression, it is first necessary to understand the physiological cause of such conditions. Depression has been studied by scientists for more than 50 years, and as a result, this condition was characterized as a deficiency of chemical reactions that facilitate the exchange of signals between cells. Classic antidepressants used for treatment are designed to either increase or block the release of neurotransmitters - norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. All classic antidepressants will help only in half of the cases. Therefore, the authors of the study decided to direct all efforts to understanding the causes of depressive disorders. A new theory of depression development attributes the cause to differences in neuron density in different parts of the brain, as well as the effects of stress on the production and death of brain cells, the role of stress-induced inflammation, and changes in feedback pathways in the brain.
It is generally accepted that constant stress is the most common cause of the development of depression. Neurons in the hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for emotions, memory, and learning ability) begin to gradually die off. It is quite possible that all mechanisms play an important role in mental disorders. In addition, biomarkers of depression, which are molecules, can be found in the human body. Scientists have identified more than a dozen potential biomarkers of depression, in particular anti-inflammatory cytokines, monoamine regulators, as well as other neurotransmitters of inflammation, etc.
Today, the most effective treatments are considered to be dexamethasone, anesthetics, benzodiazepines, tricyclic or atypical antidepressants, corticotropin-releasing hormone antagonists, long-term behavioral therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain, etc.
This type of treatment takes several months. As a result, the authors of the study created programs for treating depressive states in an average of one and a half months, but this is not enough for full recovery.
Depression is currently considered the leading cause of disability in the world, after musculoskeletal diseases. This is the conclusion reached by experts after comparing data from more than 200 diseases or injuries. As experts note, depression should be considered a first-line problem in the world.
WHO intends to take all measures to combat this severe mental disorder and has already developed an action plan for the treatment of depression.
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