Australian Researchers Identify Proposed Body-Clock Subtype of Depression

University of Sydney researchers have identified a proposed body-clock subtype of depression in a newly published Australian study. In the Australian Genetics of Depression Study, 2,604 participants, or 23%, met provisional criteria involving at least three of six sleep and circadian features. Compared with other participants, this group reported earlier depression onset, more severe clinical features and poorer responses to commonly prescribed antidepressants. The cross-sectional study, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, relied on self-reported medication responses and calls for independent replication and further research into the proposed subtype's predictive value.