SINGAPORE - Researchers at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) are hoping to beat the blues by treating thyroid disorders.
Studies overseas have shown some association between the two, but results have not been conclusive.
There will be a clinical trial here to find out how exactly thyroid disorders can lead to depression.
In Singapore, close to 9 per cent of adults suffer from depression, with more women falling prey.
And while thyroid disorders can lead to depression, doctors are not sure how.
To find out more, the researchers will look at hypothyroidism, where the body is short of the thyroid hormone.
The clinical trial which is expected to end in November next year will compare two groups of women - those who suffer from depression and those who don't. For a start, the trial will focus on non-pregnant Chinese women between the ages of 21 and 60.
Dr Chan Herng Nieng, associate consultant, Department of Psychiatry at SGH, said: "Our aim is to find out whether there's any difference in these two groups of people in terms of the levels of thyroid hormone, levels of thyroid antibody, as well as levels of cytokine, which are proteins that serve a signalling function in the immune system."
With an eventual pool of 160 participants, researchers hope to draw conclusions from a 90-minute survey, and blood and urine tests. Claire Huang
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