Depression Not Improving? This Could Be Why…

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of prescription anitdepressants.

In fact, I’ve spent a lot of time over the years helping patients get off these meds.

The side effects – like brain fog, weight gain, and problems in the bedroom – are bad enough.

But the worst part is that they just don’t work for a lot of people.

Previous studies have found that, for many patients, antidepressants don’t work any better than placebo.

Now, we may finally be understanding why…

New research out of Australia has identified a specific type of depression that one out of every five depressed patients might have.

It won’t respond to drugs… but the fix could actually be pretty simple.

Australian researchers recently combed through the data on nearly 15,000 patients with depression.

They uncovered something they’re calling “atypical depression” – and about 21% of the patients had it.

Basically, with atypical depression, your brain chemistry is not going to respond to typical depression drugs, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

That sounds like bad news… but it doesn’t have to be.

Because researchers found that these people often had a different health problem that could be at the root of their depression – unhealthy circadian rhythms.

And the fix for that is pretty straightforward.

We think of our circadian rhythms as our bodies’ natural sleep/wake cycles – and there’s definitely a strong link between sleep problems and depression.

But when your circadian rhythm is out of whack, it can also disrupt the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that influence mood.

Researchers found that people with atypical depression tended to be more active in the evenings and spend less time in daylight – two indications of circadian problems. In fact, the researchers concluded that there was “evidence for circadian disruption as a core feature of atypical depression.”

Some folks in mainstream medicine might be surprised by this… but I’m not.

I focus on circadian health with my patients with depression, and it’s made a real difference for them.

Keping your circadian rhythm healthy does not have to be complicated. Here are three steps to get you started:

Step 1: Get sunlight in your eyes first thing every morning, no glasses or contact lenses. Just keep the sun in your peripheral vision. This helps set your circadian rhythm for the day.

Step 2: Keep the same bedtime, even on weekends.

Step 3: Shut off screens from cell phones, TVs, and laptops 60-90 minutes before bed. You want to limit exposure to your eyes and skin from this artificial blue light, as it’s a major circadian disruptor.

That’s it. Try these three steps every day for the next couple of weeks – and I’ll be you’ll notice you’re starting to feel better.

View Sources

Moncrieff, J., & Kirsch, I. (2015). Empirically derived criteria cast doubt on the clinical significance of antidepressant–placebo differences. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 43, 60–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2015.05.005

 

Shin, M., Crouse, J., Lin, T., Mitchell, B., Lind, P., Parker, R., … & Hickie, I. (2026). Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response and polygenic risk profile. Biological Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.01.003

 

Research reveals clues as to why standard antidepressants fail for so many. (2026, January 16). Medical Xpress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-reveals-clues-standard-antidepressants.html