Despite the availability of anti-depressants, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression across the world, says a World health Organisation (WHO) report. Apart from its devastating effects on health, depression can lead to suicide. The WHO report also revealed that close to 8, 00,000 people die due to suicide every year.
Several pieces of research have been conducted to develop suitable medicines to fight depression. According to a study, which was originally published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, laughing gas can help ease symptoms of depression in just two hours.
The pilot study, conducted on 20 patients, found that they are more likely to respond to laughing gas treatment than that of placebo gas. These patients had shown no improvement when treated with different anti-depressants previously.
