Could depression be the result of a brain infection?

ConclusionThe paper's hypothesis is interesting, but it remains just that – a hypothesis. While it is true that some pathogens, such as the Borna disease virus mentioned in the article, have been linked with neuropsychiatric disorders, there is no proof as yet that bacteria, viruses or parasites could cause major depression. Still, as the old truism goes: "Absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence". The lack of evidence could be because nobody has bothered to look for it before.The author concludes that, "It would be worthwhile to conduct large-scale studies of carefully characterised depressed patients and healthy controls using gold-standard clinical and infectious disease-related study protocols." This seems to be a reasonable and sensible suggestion.Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum. Links To The Headlines Could depression be an INFECTIOUS DISEASE? Condition is caused by parasites, bacteria or virus and could be prevented with a jab, expert claims. Mail Online, November 27 2014What If We're Wrong About Depression? New York Times, November 26 2014 Links To Science Canli T. Reconceptualizing major depressive disorder as an infectious disease. Biology of Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Published online October 21 2014
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Source Type: news