Finding the Cause of Major Depression in Young Adults

Blue Sky Project, the First Study to Focus on First-episode Occurrence

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a time of great stress as young people take on the pressure and heightened responsibility of independent living, professional employment, and adult relationships. While most young people negotiate this transition successfully, many do not.

Indeed, young adulthood is the period of greatest risk for the onset of serious mental illness, including major depression. According to recent reports, 1 in 7 young people aged 18-25 have experienced a first onset of depression, and an alarming 50-60 percent of these will go on to suffer multiple recurrent episodes throughout their adult lives.

The onset of major depression in young adulthood is associated with poor educational attainment, poor occupational functioning, poor physical health, and disrupted interpersonal relationships. These individuals fail to reach their potential as adults because of the devastation wrought by their illness.

A five-year CIHR-funded study led by CAMH scientists Dr. Michael Bagby, Dr. James Kennedy, Dr. John Strauss, Dr. Arun Ravindran, and Queen’s University scientist Dr. Kate Harkness seeks to reverse this pattern by examining the factors that cause the very first onset of depression in young adulthood. This study is called Blue Sky Project. It is the first to focus specifically on the very first episode of the illness to uncover its initial causes. This study is vital because understanding what causes the disorder in the first place will help in the early identification and treatment of young people at risk. Unfortunately the vast majority of young people at their first onset of depression do not receive treatment of any kind.

Depression runs in families, largely because particular genes are passed down from parent to child. However, the impact of genes on depression is not direct, but instead acts through the environment. In particular, people with a specific genetic marker in the serotonin system are much more likely to get depressed in the face of stress in their environment than are people without this genetic marker. That is, this particular genetic variant heightens individuals’ sensitivity to stress such that they become more susceptible to relatively minor stressors.

Dr. Bagby and his colleagues believe that this model can help explain why young people get depressed the very first time. Specifically, they are testing the idea that young adults with a particular variant of the serotonin transporter gene will require less severe levels of stress in both childhood and adulthood to cause their first episode of depression, compared to people who do not possess this at-risk genetic variant.

In Blue Sky Project, Dr. Bagby and his colleagues look at 18 to 29 year-olds currently suffering from depression for the first time, within the GTA. These young adults are thoroughly assessed, receive anti-depressant medication and are closely monitored.

For further information about Blue Sky Project or to make a referral, please call 416-979-4294 or e-mail blueskyproject@camh.net

• Print