New Study on Depression by Francie http://ldn-for-ms.

com/ (boldface mine)

I have a good friend in Sweden who has suffered from a serious back injury, followed by heavy pain killers, leading to a spiral down to horrible depression and the inability to function nearly at all. At the same time that she was sinking, I was also going downhill with my MS and had no energy to offer to help her in any way. In April 2009, I started on LDN and instantly found some joy and energy in life. After a short time, people noticed the difference in me and I was able to tell them about the use of LDN and how I think that it would be a boost for anybody. Sussi was off of the opiod pain relievers and I convinced her to try LDN. After 5 months, she is a different person. She fought and won a claim for disability and is active on the newsgroups and has found purpose again in life. Recently, she sent me a study that will be published soon from the Lund University Hospital in Sweden. It shows that those people who commit suicide have been found to have signs of inflammation in blood samples similar to those found after an ordinary viral infection. "This supports the hypothesis that depression, or some forms of it may be a recurrent inflammatory disease similar to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism," said Lena Brundin, doctor of medical science. I had originally thought that the reason that LDN raises the mood so much is that the release of endorphins is a natural mood elevator. What this says is that LDN may be doing more than that. It may be helping the immune system to clear inflammation that is leading to "a pathological behavior that is reminiscent of depression: fatigue, social avoidance, lack of concentration and lowered mood." If some depressions are a result of recurring inflammation and LDN can help the body clear itself that inflammation, then it could be a real breakthrough in the study of depression. This could also explain why one of the common symptoms of MS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc is depression. If that is the kind of depression that is brought on by systemic inflammation, then it is understandable that helping the immune system to clear the inflammation could help clear the depression. Here is a link to the actual study:
http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/view/pressrelease/oekad-kunskap-om-depression-och-sjaelvmord-270045

Google translation of that paper: Lund University Hospital Increased knowledge about depression and suicide February 5, 2009 09:02 CET "Depression is the leading cause of suicide. Recent scientific data suggest that the prevalence of depression decreased slightly in the Lunda region. Researchers are seeking answers to the cause of suicidal behavior in the human immune system and its role in depression. Some other research related to hereditary neurological diseases such as Huntington's. At the monthly meeting at Medical University Hospital in Lund was presented both field studies and

research at the molecular level. More than 15 percent of all who suffer from depression commit suicide. But in the world's oldest ongoing study of mental health, the Lundby study, the number of suicides stops at five percent. 'Previous studies of suicide risk were done on people who had hospital treatment. The Lundby study has no such limitation and includes all those diagnosed with depression who perhaps only received outpatient care, or no care at at all' says psychiatrist Cecilia Mattisson. With the help of records from hospitalization, death certificates and interviews, she has also identified the prevalence of depression among the population of parishes and Dalby Bonderup. The 3,563 persons included in the study have been divided into two groups, 1947-72 and 1972-97. 'New cases for women in the older group was 35.7 percent against 30.7 percent in the younger' says Cecilia Mattisson. Several studies of depression have noted signs of inflammation in blood samples. The same thing occurs after an ordinary viral infection causing pathological behavior reminiscent of depression: fatigue, social avoidance, lack of concentration and lowered mood. This supports the hypothesis that depression, or some forms of it, may be a recurrent inflammatory disease similar to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism, said Lena Brundin, doctor of medical science who is further training to be a specialist in psychiatry. In her research she focused on samples of cerebrospinal fluid from people who tried to kill themselves. In total, 150 samples taken during 20 years at the University Hospital in Lund. She examined the samples for the presence of inflammatory substances that are known to affect nerve cells, which in turn influence behavior. The molecular links are also visible in the deadly and hereditary Huntington's disease, characterized by involuntary movements. The first symptoms are depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, which can appear up to fifteen years before physical onset of the illness. 'Huntington's is a model for how we could treat depression' says Dr. Asa Petersn. In cooperation with American scientists, she analyzed early changes in the brain by means of MRI. The main target is the hypothalamus, which controls emotions and, among other things, weight and sleep. The goal is to find biomarkers, and ultimately to either stop or delay the changes in the hypothalamus. 'To achieve this we work in large teams and in collaboration with geneticists and neurologists' says sa Petersen."