Leanne Williams is an expert in depression. The first thing that she wants the world to know is that depression is not some sort of character flaw, but a real illness with symptoms that can impair one’s ability to function day to day. The past decade has seen remarkable advances, she says, as functional MRI has opened new avenues of understanding depression’s mechanisms and its treatments. These are hopeful times for the science of depression, Williams tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.
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Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Russ Altman introduces guest Leanne Williams, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stanford University.
(00:02:13) What Is Depression?
Distinguishing clinical depression from everyday sadness.
(00:04:02) Current Depression Treatment Challenges
The trial-and-error of traditional depression treatments and their extended timelines.
(00:06:46) Brain Mapping and Circuit Dysfunctions
Advanced imaging techniques and their role in understanding depression.
(00:09:33) Diagnosing with Brain Imaging
How brain imaging can complement traditional diagnostic methods in psychiatry.
(00:10:52) Depression Biotypes
Identifying six distinct biotypes of depression through brain imaging
(00:14:41) Biotypes and Personalized Treatments
How biotypes allow for targeted therapies and improve treatment outcomes.
(00:19:33) AI in Depression Treatment
Using AI to refine biotypes and predict treatment outcomes with greater accuracy.
(00:22:45) Psychedelics in Depression Treatment
The potential for psychedelic drugs to target specific biotypes of depression.
(00:24:16) Expanding the Biotypes Framework
Integrating multimodal approaches into the biotype framework.
(00:27:59) Reducing Stigma in Depression
How showing patients their brain imaging results reduces self-blame and stigma.
(00:30:08) Conclusion
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