Scientists find genetic link to depression

Research led by King's College London has discovered the first solid evidence that genetic variations on chromosome 3 may cause depression. In a rare occurrence in genetic research the findings have been replicated concurrently by another group from Washington University, and both papers are published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Major depression affects approximately 20 per cent of people at some point in their lives and is forecast to become the disorder with the highest disease burden in the world by 2020, with only heart disease rivalling it in impact as a public health problem. Severe and recurring depression affects up to 4 per cent of the population and is notoriously hard to treat. Family studies have long indicated that depression has a genetic link with over 40 per cent of the risk for developing depression thought to be contributed by genes. Until now, few if any regions of the genome, have been shown to contribute to this risk. Dr Gerome Breen, lead author and lecturer at King's College London Institute of Psychiatry said: 'In a large number of families where two or more members have depression we found robust evidence that a region called chromosome 3p25-26 is strongly linked to the disorder.