Depression affects around one in four young adults, but there’s still so much we don’t know about the role of biology in mental health disorders. It’s what motivated researchers from around the world to conduct the “largest and most diverse” study of genetics and depression, led by the University of Edinburgh and King’s College in London. Findings from the analysis of 700,000 genetic samples prove that “there is a strong biological basis to having depression.” The discovery of previously unknown genetic variants linked to depression could change the way it's diagnosed and treated. Dr Brittany Mitchell from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute was involved in the study, and joins us in the deep dive to talk through these findings.

You can find more information on the Australian Genetics of Depression Study here. You can read more about the findings from the global study here.

Hosts: Emma Gillespie and Sam Koslowski
Guest: Dr Brittany Mitchell
Producer: Orla Maher

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