Vanessa

(Vanessa's name has been changed and her image hidden to protect her privacy)

"My son would say, 'Don't cry'," Vanessa remembers. The 36-year-old mother of two had experienced severe depression from her late teens, and describes Westmead Millennium Institute's 'iSPOT-D' study as "a godsend."

iSPOT-D is the International Study to Predict Optimised Development -- in Depression. It aims to identify the biological markers for depression, so that treatments can be tailored to individual patients.

Westmead is one of the leading sites for the study, which is taking place at more than 20 sites around the world. The researchers are investigating participant's DNA for generic clues, and measuring their brain functions to determine how they think and process emotion in real time.

Since starting her personalised treatment, Vanessa has started a university course and, most importantly, can now laugh and play with her children.

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