Depression

Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. It's more than just a feeling of being "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. If you are one of the more than 20 million people in the United States who have depression, the feelings do not go away. They persist and interfere with your everyday life.

Clinical Depression: Diagnosis, Causes & Treatment

Depression is a clinical condition that, contrary to popular opinion, cannot simply be overcome with time and it needs to be treated.

Situational Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

Depression Diagnosis

Food Insecurity and Depression

How Can I Tell if My Child is Depressed?

Contributing Factors to Post-Adoption Depression

Depression in children

Prisoner Depression and Low Mood

How is Depression in Children Diagnosed?

The Science Behind the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder

Treatment of Depression

See more featured articles »

Ghrelin and Depression

Symptoms of Depression

Antidepressants and Weight Changes

Intrusive Thoughts and Depression

How Does Your Diet Affect Depression?

Link Between Chronic Illness and Depression

Depression and Sleep Length

5 Facts You May Not Know About Depression

Can Depression and Anxiety Occur Together?

Causes of Depression

Treatment Options for Children with Depression

Genes and Depression

Latest Depression News and Research

Theater activities enhance emotional well-being in Parkinson’s patients

A research team at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), working with the Hospital Sant Pau in Barcelona, has shown that theatre can improve the emotional well-being of people with Parkinson's disease.

2 Jul 2025

Transforming OCD treatment through research and innovation

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) impacts approximately 2% of the global population, often preventing individuals from living life to their full potential.

2 Jul 2025

‘MAHA Report’ calls for fighting chronic disease, but Trump and Kennedy have yanked funding

‘MAHA report’ calls for fighting chronic disease, but Trump and Kennedy have yanked funding

2 Jul 2025

Danish trial reveals how structured exercise and guidance affect life with chronic conditions

A large multicenter trial found that a 12-week personalized exercise therapy and self-management support program produced a small but statistically significant improvement in health-related quality of life for adults with multimorbidity. The intervention was safe, but its clinical relevance remains uncertain, as only self-rated health showed a significant benefit over usual care.

1 Jul 2025

Spaceflight exposes astronauts to hidden threats in their gut

This review highlights how the unique stressors of space travel, radiation, microgravity, and circadian disruption impact astronauts’ gut microbiomes, with potential consequences for their mood, cognition, and immunity. The authors call for targeted microbiome monitoring and dietary interventions to protect astronaut mental health on future missions.

1 Jul 2025

Prebiotics may boost brain GABA through gut microbiota

GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is an amino acid functioning as the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter that can act on the brain to slow or stop the reception of certain signals to the brain, leading to a calmer and more relaxed state.

1 Jul 2025

Younger children in school face higher mental health risks

Schoolchildren born late in the year are at greater risk of developing mental health problems compared with their older peers, according to a new study.

1 Jul 2025

Low-income patients face greater barriers in challenging health insurance denials

Low-income patients-and their healthcare providers-are less likely to challenge denials of their health insurance claims than those with household incomes above $50,000, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research.

1 Jul 2025

Many ADHD trials in adults lack proper diagnostic standards

Millions of adults around the world are diagnosed with ADHD every year, and there is a great need for research in the field.

1 Jul 2025

Aging brain adapts to read ambiguous facial expressions

Because aging weakens cognitive skills, older people can struggle to read difficult social cues. A brain region involved in attention and arousal-the locus coeruleus (LC)-helps with complex tasks, and its connections to the cortex may adapt as humans age to support cognition.

30 Jun 2025

AI system offers new hope for diagnosing PTSD in children

Diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder in children can be notoriously difficult. Many, especially those with limited communication skills or emotional awareness, struggle to explain what they're feeling.

30 Jun 2025

Early therapy for preschool depression shows long lasting benefits

Depression affects 1%-2% of children younger than 13 in the U.S. and can arise as early as age 3, but a specialized therapeutic intervention can help preschool-aged children find relief from this condition - with benefits lasting at least four years, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

27 Jun 2025

Exploring neural responses to mental exhaustion in healthy adults

In experiments with healthy volunteers undergoing functional MRI imaging, scientists have found increased activity in two areas of the brain that work together to react to, and possibly regulate, the brain when it's "feeling" tired and either quits or continues exerting mental effort.

27 Jun 2025

Babies as young as eight months show flexible learning abilities

Babies as young as eight months old can adapt their learning style to changing situations, according to research by Francesco Poli of the Donders Institute at Radboud University.

27 Jun 2025

Brain activity reveals lingering sensitivity to negative cues after depression recovery

Researchers have found that even after recovery, individuals who previously experienced depression may retain a heightened sensitivity to negative cues and face challenges in regulating responses to potential punishment.

27 Jun 2025

Can saffron treat Alzheimer’s and depression?

Saffron shows promise as a natural treatment for depression and cognitive decline, performing as well as standard drugs in clinical trials. However, more rigorous studies are needed before saffron can be recommended in mainstream psychiatric and dementia care.

26 Jun 2025

Brain injury linked to criminal behavior in new study

A new study led by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School has found that damage to a specific region of the brain may contribute to criminal or violent behavior.

26 Jun 2025

Surgery and speech therapy improve chronic post-stroke aphasia

Combining neck surgery with intensive speech therapy is associated with greater improvements in a person's ability to communicate after a stroke than intensive speech therapy alone, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

26 Jun 2025

Teaching emotional skills improves student wellbeing in Japan

Today, high school students worldwide face unprecedented levels of stress as they navigate academic pressures, issues with social identity, and future career decisions.

26 Jun 2025

Higher BMI linked to slower concussion recovery in athletes and cadets

Clinicians who work with elite college athletes and military cadets should be aware of the association between higher body mass index (BMI) and worse concussion recovery, suggests new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine research published today in Sports Medicine.

25 Jun 2025