Women have a higher genetic risk of depression, study shows

Women have a higher risk of developing depression than men, and according to new research, genetics could be a big contributor.

Words by Sarah Mitchell for BodyandSoul.com.au

One in seven Australians are affected by depression, and women have consistently been found to be at a greater risk than men in general.

Now, new research shows they’re also at a greater genetic risk.

The development of depression has been linked to a combination of things, including biological, environmental, lifestyle and social causes, but some people do have a genetic predisposition. This doesn’t inherently mean you’ll get depression, but it does increase your risk.

Women’s genetic risk of depression

Published in Nature Communications journal, scientists from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland analysed DNA from close to 130,000 females and almost 65,000 males with depression in Australia, the Netherlands, United States and the United Kingdom. They then compared it to about 160,000 females and over 132,000 males without diagnosed depression.

They found about 7000 changes in DNA that could cause depression in both men and women, as well as another 6000 that could cause the mental illness in women specifically.

Neuro-geneticist Jodi Thomas led the study. She explained that researchers took other factors into account, including men’s lower likelihood of seeking help leading to underdiagnosis, and women’s increased risk of exposure to sexual abuse, as well as other behavioural, environmental and biological aspects.

“We know that depression is caused not only by genetics, it also has a very large environmental influence,” she said.

“We didn’t look into that in this research, but it definitely is something that will be of interest for future research.”

Men and women experience depression differently

Senior researcher at QIMR Berghofer’s genetic epidemiology lab, Dr Brittany Mitchell, said we “know that depression looks very different from one person to another. Until now, there hasn’t been much consistent research to explain why depression affects females and males differently, including the possible role of genetics.”

The team found that genetic factors linked to depression overlap more with genes related to metabolic traits in females than in males.

Females had a greater likelihood of developing symptoms such as:

• Weight gain
• Increased appetite
• Excessive daytime sleepiness

Males were more likely to display:

• Anger and aggression
• Risk-taking behaviours
• Substance abuse

Neuro-geneticist Jodi Thomas, who led the study, said, “That’s an interesting finding that we can … continue on the road and see if perhaps therapeutics that are targeting more of these shared signals between depression and metabolic traits may be very good treatments for females”.

“I think this study is really cool in that it demonstrates that we do find a lot of interesting findings, and new findings, when we separate our participants into females and males.”

An invitation for trials and research to have a greater focus on women

With the majority of medical research focusing on the symptoms, traits and experiences of male patients, researchers hope the findings could encourage more of a focus on the health experiences of women.

“These findings underscore the importance of considering sex-specific genetic (factors) in the study of health conditions, including major depressive disorder, paving the way for more targeted treatment strategies,” the scientists said.

This article originally appeared on BodyandSoul.com.au as Women have a higher genetic risk of depression, study shows.