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.

Antidepressants and Weight Changes

Depression Diagnosis

Depression in children

The Science Behind the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder

Prisoner Depression and Low Mood

Treatment Options for Children with Depression

Causes of Depression

Symptoms of Depression

How is Depression in Children Diagnosed?

Intrusive Thoughts and Depression

Genes and Depression

See more featured articles »

Food Insecurity and Depression

Ghrelin and Depression

Depression and Sleep Length

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

Can Depression and Anxiety Occur Together?

Contributing Factors to Post-Adoption Depression

Treatment of Depression

5 Facts You May Not Know About Depression

Link Between Chronic Illness and Depression

Situational Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

How Does Your Diet Affect Depression?

How Can I Tell if My Child is Depressed?

Latest Depression News and Research

Watching more than 4 hours of TV daily raises the risk of cognitive decline

This study finds a link between long TV viewing and cognitive impairment, stressing the importance of addressing sedentary lifestyles for dementia prevention.

17 Sep 2025

Study highlights critical mental health risk for eczema patients

A new international study presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2025 reveals that adults with atopic eczema (AE) are significantly more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, with researchers uncovering the key factors driving this elevated risk.

17 Sep 2025

Best foods to boost happiness after 50, according to new UK study

Older adults who ate more fruits, vegetables, and fish showed higher well-being, especially eudemonic well-being and happiness, in a large UK study. However, most diet–well-being links weakened after accounting for mood, health, and socioeconomic factors.

16 Sep 2025

Lifestyle changes show promise in preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease

An estimated 7.2 million Americans over age 65 currently live with Alzheimer's disease (AD). That number is expected to nearly double to 13.8 million by 2060.

16 Sep 2025

'Nocebo effect' may shape women’s experience of the contraceptive pill

Side effects experienced when taking oral contraception may be affected by women's expectations and beliefs about the pill, according to an exploratory study by psychologists.

16 Sep 2025

Artificial intelligence detects mild depression through micro-movements in facial muscles

Depression is one of the most common mental health challenges, but its early signs are often overlooked. It is often linked to reduced facial expressivity. However, whether mild depression or subthreshold depression (StD) (a mild state of depressive symptoms that does not meet the criteria for diagnosis but is a risk factor for developing depression) is associated with changes in facial expressions remains unknown.

16 Sep 2025

Survey shows high levels of mental health difficulties among young adults

The majority (64%) of young adults in Britain say they have experienced mental health difficulties, with a third (32%) expecting to need support in the coming year, according to polling commissioned from YouGov by UCL's Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing.

16 Sep 2025

Parents of children with health conditions face added worries as school year begins

As the new school year begins, some parents may be feeling more nervous than excited - especially those whose children have different health needs.

16 Sep 2025

Hair cortisol levels signal mental health risks in children with chronic illness

Long-term stress levels, measured through hair samples, may provide important clues about mental health risks in children with chronic physical illnesses (CPI), according to new research from the University of Waterloo.

15 Sep 2025

Researchers develop a digital cognitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a digital cognitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease that is intended for use in primary care.

15 Sep 2025

Trauma-focused CBT could offer hope for young PTSD sufferers

A specialist form of therapy could offer hope for some of the most vulnerable young PTSD sufferers – according to a University of East Anglia study.

15 Sep 2025

Association between depression and diabetes remains the same, regardless of where people live

The relative increase in odds of an individual with diabetes developing severe symptoms of depression – and vice versa – is the same, regardless of where they live, a study of over-50s in 18 countries in Europe that is being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) has found.

15 Sep 2025

Keto diet reduces depression symptoms by 70% in college students

Research indicates a ketogenic diet may serve as an effective adjunct therapy for major depression in college students, improving mood and cognitive abilities.

15 Sep 2025

Ketogenic diets may lower migraine frequency and medication use

This narrative review argues that the migraine brain is hypometabolic, with converging evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired glucose handling, neuroinflammation, microbiome shifts, and obesity-related pathways. It proposes ketogenic diets as a plausible preventive strategy that may reduce monthly migraine days and medication use, while emphasizing the need for larger, rigorous randomized trials and careful clinical oversight.

14 Sep 2025

Global review links firearm access and ownership to mental health harms

Interventions to address firearm accessibility and related dangers should account not only for direct exposure to violence but also for complex psychosocial pathways through which firearms affect mental health across populations, according to a systematic scoping review published in the September/October issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer.

13 Sep 2025

Acupuncture improves pain and function in older adults with chronic low back pain

According to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), older Americans with chronic low back pain who received acupuncture had greater improvement in physical function and reduced pain than those who received usual medical care only, generally prescribed medications or physical therapy.

13 Sep 2025

Research reveals undisclosed active ingredients in retail mushroom products

"Magic mushroom" edibles sold at smoke shops and convenience stores are likely to contain no psilocybin but instead a range of undisclosed active ingredients, a study led by an Oregon State University College of Pharmacy scientist shows.

13 Sep 2025

Personalized form of electric brain stimulation shows promise for treating depression

A more precise and personalized form of electric brain stimulation may be a more effective and faster treatment for people with moderate to major depression compared to other similar treatments, according to a UCLA Health study.

11 Sep 2025

New care program aims to improve cancer treatment access for Indigenous patients

Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Campus have published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine describing a novel care coordination and communication program and its potential for helping Indigenous people access the lifesaving cancer care that they need.

11 Sep 2025

Toddlers exposed to the COVID pandemic show fewer behavioral problems

A study finds that toddlers exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic showed fewer behavioral issues, suggesting hidden resilience factors in diverse family backgrounds.

11 Sep 2025