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Depression and bacteria

We may be more depressed because we're too "clean." [Link]

...it opens a new line of inquiry into why depression is becoming more common. Two other conditions that have increased in frequency recently are asthma and allergies, both of which are caused by the immune system attacking cells of the body it is supposed to protect. One explanation for the rise of these two conditions is the hygiene hypothesis. This suggests a lack of childhood exposure to harmless bugs is leading to improperly primed immune systems, which then go on to look for trouble where none exists.

In the case of depression, a similar explanation may pertain. If an ultra-hygienic environment is not stimulating the interaction between immune system and brain, some people may react badly to the consequent lack of serotonin. No one suggests this is the whole explanation for depression, but it may turn out to be part of it.

(Perhaps the real story here is that we've too successfully sealed ourselves off from the rest of the world/unverse, losing a sense of biological interdependence. This manifests in other ways, as too-hungry, too-warm polar bears will tell you.)

jon posted this at 8:41 AM
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