Researchers have identified 23 genes linked to a person’s risk of developing depression which could dramatically change the way the disease is treated.

The study, conducted by the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, also found links between genetic profiles and subsets of the disease such as postpartum depression and typical depression.

It’s the world’s largest study of depression.

Lead researcher, Dr Brittany Mitchell from QIMR, told Sofie Formica it could change the way the disease is treated.

“This was the very first study to really shows that the genes that underly, or cause, these different types of depression are not all the same,” she said on 4BC Afternoons.

“Depression’s kind of seen as this one size fits all, and treatment, to a large extent, also follows that same pattern.

“But we’re really showing that on a biological level, that’s not true, and that perhaps treatment should be more specific and more tailored.”

Press PLAY to hear more from Dr Brittany Mitchell below 

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