Depression and bipolar disorder: relationships to impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism and to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immunological abnormalities, cancer, ageing and osteoporosis - Possible candidate genes

Depression and bipolar disorder are two of the commonest illnesses in the d eveloped world, While some patients can bt! treated effectively with availa ble drugs, many do not respond, especially in the depression related to bip olar disorder. Depression is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disea se, immunological abnormalities, multiple sclerosis, cancer, osteoporosis a nd ageing: in each case depressed individuals have a worse outcome than non -depressed individuals. In all of these conditions there is now evidence of impaired phospholipid metabolism and impaired fatty acid-related signal tr ansduction processes. Impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism may b e a primary cause of depression in many patients and may explain the intera ctions with other diseases. Several novel gene candidates for involvement i n depression and bipolar disorder are proposed.