One in four people with severe depression may = dysregulated body clocks

A closer look at One in four people with severe depression may = dysregulated body clocks

What this ABC News story reports

The article describes a new Australian study, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, that suggests about one in four people with severe, recurrent or persistent depression meet criteria for a proposed subtype called "circadian depression." It says this subgroup commonly reports symptoms such as waking up very tired, sleeping more when depressed, and being a "night owl."

The piece quotes lead researcher Emiliana Tonini and other academics and notes the study used clinical and genetic data from 11,380 Australians in a long-running national depression study, of whom 2,604 met the study’s circadian-depression criteria.

What you can learn or do from this story

The article explains the proposed features used to define circadian depression (for this study): a seasonal pattern of illness, sleeping more when depressed, and "social jet lag" where sleep timings differ greatly between work days and free days. It also summarises suggested treatment directions mentioned by researchers, such as melatonin, melatonin-targeted antidepressants, light therapy and behavioural changes, while noting further research is needed.

Who might find this useful

People interested in how sleep timing and the 24-hour internal clock relate to mood disorders will find the piece relevant. Clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience of severe, recurrent or persistent depression may be interested because the story discusses possible clinical and genetic distinctions and implications for targeting treatments.

Questions people ask about One in four people with severe depression may = dysregulated body clocks

Does the article say circadian depression is an established diagnosis?

No - the article says circadian depression is a proposed subtype and notes it is not currently listed as a standalone diagnosis in the DSM; experts quoted say more research is needed.

How did the researchers identify people with circadian depression?

They used self-reported symptoms and found participants who reported three or more features such as seasonal patterns, sleeping more when depressed, or large differences in sleep timing between work and free days.

Does the story say how treatment differs for this group?

The article reports researchers suggest targeted approaches like melatonin, light therapy and behavioural changes might help, but it also says more research is required to test treatment effectiveness.

One in four people with severe depression may = dysregulated body clocks was shared on NexURLs by Nexis on November 1, 2026, in Health & Fitness.