Women are genetically at a higher risk of clinical depression than men. Still, fewer people are killed.
The numbers leave no doubt: men commit suicide more than women. At the end of 2023, a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), revealed that .
However, interestingly, a study recently in Nature Communications revealed that women have twice as many depression genes compared to men.
Touted as one of the largest studies ever of its kind, scientists analyzed the DNA of nearly 200,000 people with depression to identify shared genetic “markers.”
As women had almost twice as many of these genetic markers associated with depression compared to men.
“The genetic component of depression is greater in women than in men”, the researcher told . Jodi Thomasthe Berghofer Institute of Medical Research in Australia, which led the study.
It has long been known that , but the biological causes remained a mystery.
In this research, about 13,000 genetic markers were associated with depression in women, compared to 7,000 markers in men. Some of these genetic changes can modify biological pathways linked to metabolism or hormone production.
“We found some genetic differences that may help explain why women with depression more frequently experience metabolic symptoms, such as changes in weight or energy levels,” said Thomas.
Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. According to the WHO, More than 300 million people around the world suffer from depression.
