Time Magazine has an online article titled “Study: ‘Depression Gene’ Doesn’t Predict the Blues.”
The article reviews a recent meta-analysis published in JAMA.
Time’s writers report that “The meta-analysis of 14 prior studies concludes that the so-called depression gene — a variant of a serotonin-transporter gene called 5-HTTLPR — may not be associated with an elevated risk for depression, as many researchers had believed.”
However, the meta-analysis did find that there was a significant correlation between the number of a person’s stressful life events and depression.
The researchers found that “This meta-analysis yielded no evidence that the serotonin transporter genotype alone or in interaction with stressful life events is associated with an elevated risk of depression in men alone, women alone, or in both sexes combined.”
As the Time article concludes:
“So what does this mean for anyone who is struggling with depression? The science of linking specific genes to the disorder is still in its infancy, so no one should worry that their genes alone doom them to a life of sorrow. And while no single treatment works for every patient, there are many — including simple physical exercise or strengthening social relationships — that can help to lift the blues.”
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