For many years, depression was seen primarily as a disorder of the brain and neurotransmitters. However, an increasing number of studies suggest that disturbances in the immune system may play an important role for some patients.
Research shows that people with chronic inflammatory diseases — from rheumatoid arthritis to eczema — are more likely to suffer from depression. Scientists have also found that many patients with depressive disorders have elevated inflammatory markers in the blood. Gradually, this has led to the hypothesis that there may be a special “immune subtype” of depression.
Today, researchers are studying specific immune mechanisms that may influence brain function. Chronic inflammation is believed to alter the activity of regions linked to motivation, pleasure and stress responses. This opens up the possibility of using existing immune drugs in psychiatry. The focus is primarily on modern biologic medicines that do not completely suppress the immune system, but instead act in a targeted way on individual signaling molecules and inflammatory mechanisms.
For now, such methods are being considered not as a replacement for antidepressants, but as a potential addition for patients with treatment-resistant depression. The main task for scientists is to learn how to identify who exactly may benefit from this approach. And then, perhaps, psychiatry could move from universal treatment schemes to more precise and personalized therapy based on a person's specific biological characteristics.
