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Researchers at the University of Sydney have identified a new subtype of depression called "circadian depression." The study used clinical and genetic data from more than 10,000 Australians to identify this new subtype, which accounted for nearly a quarter of diagnoses in their study looking at people with severe, recurrent or persistent depression.

Circadian depression is linked to the body's 24-hour internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. It is characterized by being more resistant to treatment by common serotonin-based antidepressants but is more responsive to behavioral and medical therapies targeting the body clock's unique brain circuits, such as melatonin, melatonin-targeted antidepressants and light therapy.

The research, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, provides greater understanding of the genetic mechanisms underpinning circadian depression and offers insights into why traditional treatments such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) do not work as well for people with this subtype.

First author Dr. Emiliana Tonini from the Brain and Mind Centre said, "Our research has identified circadian depression as a new subtype, affecting around a quarter of people in our study into those with severe, recurrent or persistent depression.

"Depression is not a uniform illness and understanding the characteristics of different subtypes means that we can give people earlier access to treatments that will be most effective for them."

Researchers carried out clinical and genetic analysis of more than 10,000 people with depression using data from the nationwide Australian Genetics of Depression Study .

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