An article in this week’s New Scientist reports research which shows that depression and other mental health problems may be caused by, rather than being a result of, insomnia.
It has been assumed that if a person were depressed and was unable to sleep, that the lack of sleep was causing the depression. But this new research says that the depression may be caused by sleeplessness. This assumption hasn’t really been questioned as it seemed so obvious that insomnia made people depressed. No-one until now has thought to examine this belief.
If this really is the case then it is shocking news because it means that many many people who are suffering from depression and other mental health problems are being given the wrong treatment. Maybe all they needed was help with insomnia. Have they all been given aniti-depressants and maybe psychological treatments when all they needed was a cure for insomnia and sleep disorders?
