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Scientists have found a brain chemical that could be the cause of depression and suicidal tendency in people who endured trauma and difficulties during childhood.

Neuroscientists from Universities in the United States have identified a stress responsive protein, SGK1, linked to depression among people who faced adversity and hardships during their younger days. They found that high levels of SGK1 could lead to depression and suicidal tendencies. This raises the prospect of finding new treatments and antidepressants that block SGK1 activity and help ease the condition. While common antidepressants like SSRIs are helpful for many people, they are less effective for those who experienced early trauma, according to authorities. The biological processes that lead to the condition may differ from those with less stressful childhoods.

Researchers found in their study that 60% of adults with major depression and a majority of those who attempted suicide had some adverse experiences during childhood. They detected unusually high levels of SGK1 in the blood of unmedicated patients with depression.

Hardships during childhood such as physical, emotional, or mental abuse or growing in a broken family could be predictors of depression in later life.

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