Frustration can be seen in the eyes

In a recent study led by scientists at the Max Planck Institute, researchers found that the way our pupils respond can differentiate people with depression from those with good mental health.

“One of the main goals of my team is to improve diagnostics in psychiatry, that is, to make them more objective and more causal through physical tests,” explains Viktor Spoormacher, author of the study and head of the Psychophysiology Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute. “In this sense, pupillometry has the advantage of being very precise,”

It continues.

Depression: Patients have reduced pupil dilation

After a selection process that excluded those on antidepressants or those with incomplete medical data, his team focused on 40 non-medicated depressed participants and 30 healthy controls.

The heart of the research was a task specifically designed to measure participants’ pupil reactions when they expect rewards, a data point that reflects everyday situations that cause excitement or pleasure.

The results showed that participants with depression had significantly less pupil dilation than the control group. This vulnerability was more pronounced in those suffering from the most depressive symptoms, indicating a direct relationship between the severity of mental illness and eye appearance.

“Decreased pupil response was particularly noticeable in depressed patients who could not feel pleasure for long periods of time and lacked energy.”

cites Andy Brendler, a psychiatric researcher and co-author of the study.

These findings need to be tested in larger and more diverse cohorts to generalize the results to different populations and different stages of depression.

“Depression is a very heterogeneous mental disorder with very different symptoms,” Victor finishes the Spurmaker. “It is important to be more specific about the physiological processes that are affected in a person with depressed mood, so that we can choose the right treatment.” It turns out.

Depression affects 15 to 20% of the general population

Major depressive disorder affects all ages and affects approximately 15 to 20% of the general population. “A depressive episode must be distinguished from normal fluctuations in mood. In the case of a depressive episode, the depressed mood is present most of the day, every day, and for at least two weeks.” clarifies WHO.

Other symptoms are also present, including:
– Difficulty concentrating;
– feelings of excessive guilt or low self-esteem;
– Despair about the future;
– suicidal thoughts;
– sleep disorders;
– Fluctuations in appetite or weight;
– Severe fatigue or loss of energy.