Depression subtype discovery gives hope to sufferers

<p>A new depression subtype linked to the body clock could give hope to people previously told their illness was untreatable.</p> <p>University of Sydney researchers said they identified the newly coined "circadian depression" in around a quarter of the more than 10,000 Australians who took part in their recent study. </p> <p>The features of the depression subtype include sleeping longer when depressed, waking up feeling very tired and being a night owl. </p> <p>Researcher Ian Hickie said the breakthrough had been a relief for people whose depression had not responded to traditional treatments, including antidepressants or cognitive behavioural therapy. </p> <p>"This has actually been empowering and enlightening (for patients) to get out of that category otherwise called treatment resistant depression," the university's Brain and Mind Centre policy co-director said. </p> <p>Despite common knowledge, he said, the circadian rhythm controlled much more than sleep patterns.