Can Depression Be Reversed Without Changing Your Genes?

Mental health experts often describe psychological issues as resulting from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. It’s certainly possible, for example, to be born with a genetic predisposition toward melancholy and depression, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined to suffer from clinical depression.

A study from Northwestern University in the U.S. finds that even if your depression is genetically triggered, it doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it or that you need to change your genes to heal.

The research was conducted on a group of rats that were bred over 33 generations to develop an extreme genetic predisposition to depression. The result: the rats were severely depressed and exhibited extreme despair in all their behaviors. “You won’t find people with such a strong genetic inclination to depression as these rats,” explains Eva Redei, one of the lead researchers. The researchers measured the rats’ depression not only by observing their behavior but also through blood tests that examined specific depression-related markers.

(Photo illustration: shutterstock)

In the next phase, the researchers tested whether changing the rats’ environment could affect their genetically induced depression. The depressed rats were moved to especially spacious cages filled with chew toys and places to hide and climb- a sort of amusement park for rats. They stayed there for a month.

“We called it rat psychotherapy,” says Redei, “because the enrichment allows them to engage with their environment and with each other.” The results after one month of “therapy”: the rats’ depression was significantly reduced.

How was this improvement measured? The researchers placed the rats in a tank of water. Healthy rats swim and try to escape, while depressed rats simply float, helpless and hopeless. After a month in the rat amusement park, the formerly depressed rats swam energetically, searching for a way out. They showed no signs of despair. Blood tests confirmed a significant drop in depression-related markers.

Interestingly, the reverse experiment had the same results: healthy rats with no genetic predisposition to depression developed severe depressive behavior after two weeks of daily trauma. When placed in water, they refused to swim.

Bottom line? Your genes don’t determine your emotional state. What matters most is maintaining a positive and stimulating environment. Even if you're already depressed and blame your family history, you can recover and get back to swimming- just like those rats!