Circadian depression

Circadian depression
TreatmentPhoto therapy

Circadian depression is a type of depression that is a newly proposed subtype of major depression linked to disruptions in the body's 24-hour internal clock. Circadian depression is currently the newest type of depression discovered and identified in Australia on 21 October 2026 from studies.

The causes of Circadian depression is from disruptions from the body's 24-hour internal clock.

Signs and symptoms

People with this type of newly discovered depression will struggle immensely with morning schedules. People will go through a depressive episode in their long periods of sleep which is usually 10+ hours. People with this type of depression will feel more worse in the mornings experiencing depression, low mood, low energy, and dread. With this type of depression, there is a notable higher rate of suicide ideation. This type of new depression is linked to Major depressive disorder (MDD).

History

Circadian depression was discovered and identified in Australia on 21 October 2026 from studies at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre. The team identified the subtype by evaluating a massive dataset of 11,380 individuals from the Australian Genetics of Depression Study, discovering that nearly 23% of the participants fit this specific biological profile.

Treatment

Bright light therapy helps with the depression with a strong photic signal. Behavioural routines and environmental adaptations may also help.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "newsGP - Researchers identify new depression sub-type". NewsGP. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
  2. ↑ Lu, Donna (2026-10-20). "Australian researchers identify new subtype of depression linked to body clock disruptions". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ "Researchers identify new "circadian" subtype of depression". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
  4. 1 2 Tonini, Emiliana; Crouse, Jacob J.; Shin, Mirim; Carpenter, Joanne S.; Mitchell, Brittany L.; Byrne, Enda M.; Lind, Penelope A.; Gordon, Scott D.; Parker, Richard; Hockey, Samuel J.; To, Timothy; Shim, Andrew; Hill, Alex; Treneman, Anna; Scott, Elizabeth (2026-10-20). "Clinical and genetic correlates of a circadian subtype of depression in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study". The British Journal of Psychiatry: 1–10. doi:10.1192/bjp.2026.10798. ISSN 0007-1250.
  5. 1 2 "Researchers identify new "circadian" subtype of depression". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
  6. 1 2 3 "What is circadian depression? Experts explain". The Independent. 2026-10-21. Retrieved 2026-10-23.