Depression has long been known to increase the risk of physical health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
Now, a new study shows that different types of depression are linked to different types of cardiometabolic diseases.
This research was presented at the ECNP Congress in Amsterdam and may change how doctors think about mental and physical health.
Researchers followed 5,794 adults for seven years as part of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) Study. At the start, none of the participants had diabetes or heart disease. Each person answered detailed questions about their mental health to help the researchers understand their depressive symptoms.
The study revealed two main types of depression: “melancholic” and “atypical/energy-related.” Melancholic depression includes symptoms like waking up too early and having a reduced appetite. Atypical or energy-related depression includes symptoms like fatigue, sleeping too much, and increased appetite.
During the seven-year follow-up, about 8% of participants developed a serious physical health problem. But the kind of problem they developed depended on the type of depression they had.
People with atypical/energy-related depression were about 2.7 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without depression. Interestingly, they did not have a higher risk of heart disease.
On the other hand, people with melancholic depression were about 1.5 times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks or strokes. However, they didn’t show a higher risk for diabetes.
Dr. Yuri Milaneschi from Amsterdam UMC led the study. He explained that the team also looked at biological markers in the body. They found that people with atypical/energy-related depression had changes in inflammation and metabolism—key processes that affect how the body manages sugar and fat.
These changes were not found in those with melancholic depression. This suggests that the way depression affects physical health may depend on the specific symptoms a person experiences.
This study adds to growing evidence that depression is not just one condition but includes many different forms. Dr. Milaneschi says this supports the idea of “precision psychiatry.”
This approach looks at both mental and physical health together and tailors treatment to the individual. Instead of treating all depression the same way, doctors may need to consider what type of depression a person has and what physical health risks come with it.
This research highlights the importance of treating mental health with the same level of care as physical health—and understanding how closely the two are connected.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the blood thinner drug that can prevent strokes in people with hidden heart issues and new guidelines on daily aspirin for heart attack and stroke prevention.
For more about heart health, please read studies about This diabetes drug may increase heart failure risk and Common diabetes drug can also prevent heart and kidney diseases.
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