Gaby
Depression is often called the ailment of the 21st century. It affects about five percent of the global population, with the prevalence of depression among women twice that of men.
Until now, the most effective treatments for depressive disorders have been psychotherapy and antidepressants. New studies could point to effective ways to combat this illness, particularly treatments that involve regulating body temperature.
What Researchers Discovered
A team led by scientists from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) analyzed data from 20,880 individuals across 106 countries, collected over seven months. The average age of the participants was 46 years. The analysis confirmed that people with depression generally had elevated body temperatures, and this correlation was unaffected by the participants’ age or gender.
As the depression symptoms reported by participants became more severe, their average body temperature increased. There was also a link between more severe depression and smaller daily fluctuations in body temperature.
“To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date examining the relationship between body temperature and depression symptoms in a geographically diverse sample,” said Ashley Mason, an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSF and the lead author of the study.
Why Depression Correlates with Body Temperature
Scientists say this connection needs to be studied more closely. If something as simple as maintaining a cool body temperature can alleviate depression symptoms, it could help millions of people worldwide.
According to the researchers, there could be several reasons for this connection, as reported by Science Alert. It’s possible that depression is linked to metabolic processes that generate excess heat or to impaired thermoregulation. Mental stress or inflammation could independently affect both body temperature and depression symptoms.
This connection will need to be unraveled in future studies.
What is clear for now is that depression is a complex, multifaceted condition likely triggered by a variety of factors. Body temperature may play a significant role in its development.
A Step Toward New Methods for Overcoming Depression
If the study’s results are ultimately confirmed, the team’s work will open new avenues for finding effective treatments for depressive disorders.
Previous research has shown that symptoms of depression can be alleviated through hydrotherapy and sauna use. This effect may be explained by the cooling that follows sweating.
“Ironically, heating the human body can lead to a decrease in its temperature,” Mason said. This method may even be more effective than direct cooling, such as an ice bath.
As depression has become a global issue, efforts to study, understand, and effectively treat it are more relevant than ever. Each new discovery brings more hope for addressing this problem.
The study’s results were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
