Webchat about depression and its treatment with Dr Edward Bullmore, Wednesday 2 May at 9pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We’re running a webchat on Wednesday evening at 9pm with Professor Ed Bullmore about depression. Prof Bullmore’s book: The Inflamed Mind offers a breakthrough in our understanding of depression by presenting a link between depression and inflammation of the body and brain. He believes this new research will revolutionise the treatment of depression.

Worldwide, depression will be the single biggest cause of disability in the next 20 years, yet treatment for it has not changed much in the last three decades. Professor Bullmore’s breakthrough research challenges this and shows we need to look at new approaches to the treatment of depression.

Edward Bullmore is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge. He is a world expert in neuroscience and mental health, who is leading the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs for depression in partnership with industry. Find out more about his background on the website, The Inflamed Mind

Join the webchat and put questions to Prof Bullmore on Wednesday evening between 9 and 10pm. If you’re unable to join us at that time, post questions in advance on this thread.

@pinkgirl1234

Is there a correlation between depression and excess belly fat? Can reducing belly fat help depression? Thank you.

Obesity is quite strongly correlated with inflammation, increased levels of inflammatory proteins in the blood. This is probably because there are lot of inflammatory cells in fat tissue. Reducing obesity should reduce the risk of inflammation.

There is also a correlation between obesity and depression. It could be that this association is explained by obesity causing inflammation which in turn causes depression. Depression might then cause overeating and exacerbate the obesity, so getting into a vicious cycle. These ideas are plausible within the new way of thinking about links between body, brain and mind but - once again, sorry! - we need to do more research to really nail down the connections

@Vangoghsear

I'd be interested in your view of SSRIs, which have many undesirable side effects, including reducing sexual pleasure, which seems to be largely ignored. It surprises me that there isn't anything better.

I think SSRIs are modestly effective on average and they can work well for some people but at least a third of patients wont respond significantly. As you say, like all drugs, they have side-effects. I think one of the things we lack in psychiatry at the moment is a blood test or biomarker that we can use to predict which people will respond well to SSRIs (justifying the side-effects) and which people will not respond and will experience only side-effects. If we had such biomarkers that would be a big step forward - away from the one-size-fits-all approach towards a more personally customised kind of treatment

@EqualityIllusion

Oh, I read that article!

I actually found this sentence really upsetting:

'Is the depressed son of a depressed mother the victim of her inadequate parenting and the emotionally chilly, unloving environment she provided during the early years of his life?'

I felt that it suggested that depressed Mothers are emotionally distant and inadequate - is this actually true? And what about depressed Fathers? (I appreciate that you were probably just trying to say Or is it nurture?).

Sorry - I didnt mean this sentence to be upsetting...I was just trying to introduce the argument between nature and nurture in a slightly less abstract way, I didnt mean to imply anything about mothers vs fathers...apols if that inadvertently caused offense

That brings us to the end of this fascinating webchat. Thanks to everyone for posting their questions and a big thanks to Professor Ed Bullmore for giving over your time this evening.

Well goodbye to everyone on-line

Thanks for all your questions

I wish I had better answers to most of them - this area of science is still work in progress but I think it already creates a new way of thinking about some old questions and some big health issues...

All the best, Ed

Very interesting webchat, many thanks.

Everyone interested can read more in Professor Bullmore's book here:

The Inflamed Mind

Thank you, that was interesting.

Just reading through this now - this is so interesting.

There was also someone from King's on Radio 4 on 'All In The Mind' today, observing the link between inflammation and depression (he was discussing exercise as a preventative measure). I'd never heard about this before.

Oh no I wish I'd seen this earlier. Amazing stuff.

Thank you Ed.

Thank you Professor Bullmore

I think its rubbish.of course there is a relationship etween people with the illness he mentions and depression.the vry nature of the illness will cause in soe for them to be depressed! thinking it is the other way round....hmmm how then can my dog dying cause me to have imflamtions which lead to depression...no I got depressed because of my dog dying.
I might also have colitis and become depressed and therefore the imflamtions are present.
I will also more likel to become depressed with inflamtion from illness because illness are hard.
the connections aren't explained.depression cant work like that when the factors that bring on depression in some are to wide spread and too different.abuse.illness.an event. these causes don't come because i have an inlamortoy condition.nor cause one.
also your body my be working less due to poor health in depression and therefore more likely to get illness of the gut etc but ...
hmmm no i couldtn get on board with this and felt like again it was putting a downer and shutting down the mental health side.like it couldn't possibly be about emotional health and the mental health.we had to find a physical cause.