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.

Causes of Depression

How Does Your Diet Affect Depression?

Depression Diagnosis

Genes and Depression

Symptoms of Depression

Treatment of Depression

Depression in children

How Can I Tell if My Child is Depressed?

How is Depression in Children Diagnosed?

Treatment Options for Children with Depression

Contributing Factors to Post-Adoption Depression

See more featured articles »

Ghrelin and Depression

Prisoner Depression and Low Mood

Intrusive Thoughts and Depression

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

Depression and Sleep Length

Link Between Chronic Illness and Depression

Situational Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

Can Depression and Anxiety Occur Together?

Antidepressants and Weight Changes

Food Insecurity and Depression

The Science Behind the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder

5 Facts You May Not Know About Depression

Latest Depression News and Research

Only 13% of French adults have optimal heart health—here’s what’s driving the gap

Only 13% of French adults aged 18–69 have optimal cardiovascular health, according to a national study using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) score. The findings highlight missed prevention opportunities and suggest that modest lifestyle changes could prevent up to 81% of cardiovascular events.

1 Apr 2025

New AI voice screening method improves detection of anxiety and depression

Scientists at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP) were authors of a research paper published in the Journal of Acoustical Society of America Express Letters that demonstrates improved, automated screening methods for anxiety and major depressive disorders.

31 Mar 2025

‘They won’t help me’: Sickest patients face insurance denials despite policy fixes

Sheldon Ekirch spends a lot of time on hold with her health insurance company. Sometimes, as the minutes tick by and her frustration mounts, Ekirch, 30, opens a meditation app on her phone. It was recommended by her psychologist to help with the depression associated with a stressful and painful medical disorder.

31 Mar 2025

Antidepressant use associated with higher risk of sudden cardiac death in all age groups

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) refers to an unexpected death of a person, believed to be caused by a heart-related issue. It occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms in witnessed cases or within 24 hours of the person being last seen alive in unwitnessed cases.

31 Mar 2025

Eating ultra-processed food daily increases depression risk in older adults

Eating four or more servings of ultra-processed food daily increases the risk of depression by 10% in older adults and modestly reduces their mental health-related quality of life.

30 Mar 2025

Scientists confirm neurobiochemical link between dopamine and cognitive flexibility

For the first time, scientists have confirmed a neurobiochemical link between dopamine and cognitive flexibility, according to new research published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

28 Mar 2025

Discrimination exposure found to raise anxiety, depression risks among racial and ethnic groups

A new study found that more than half of US adults encounter some form of discrimination, and that this mistreatment may fuel higher chances of depression and/or anxiety among specific racial and ethnic groups due to cultural, social, and systemic factors.

28 Mar 2025

Gender affirming hormone therapy reduces HIV risk for transgender people

Transgender people receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy have a 37% lower chance of acquiring HIV, and for people living with HIV, hormone therapy appears to offer a 44% lower chance of the virus remaining detectable in blood, according to a University of Michigan study.

27 Mar 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The ax falls at HHS

As had been rumored for weeks, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan to reorganize the department. It involves the downsizing of its workforce, which formerly was roughly 80,000 people, by a quarter and consolidating dozens of agencies that were created and authorized by Congress.

27 Mar 2025

AI-powered therapy chatbot shows significant mental health benefits

Dartmouth researchers conducted the first clinical trial of a therapy chatbot powered by generative AI and found that the software resulted in significant improvements in participants' symptoms, according to results published March 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine AI.

27 Mar 2025

Discovery provides crucial molecular targets for future obesity treatments

The pleasure we get from eating junk food - the dopamine rush from crunching down on salty, greasy French fries and a luscious burger - is often blamed as the cause of overeating and rising obesity rates in our society.

26 Mar 2025

Understanding how the brain processes positive and negative stimuli

Researchers analyzed mice's D1 and D2 neurons to understand how they code and respond to appetitive and aversive stimuli.

26 Mar 2025

COVID-19 vaccines may cut risk of long COVID

Full COVID-19 vaccination may reduce post-COVID-19 condition risk by 27%, though more research is needed, especially for children and immunocompromised groups.

26 Mar 2025

‘I am going through hell’: Job loss, mental health, and the fate of federal workers

The National Institutes of Health employee said she knew things would be difficult for federal workers after Donald Trump was elected. But she never imagined it would be like this.

26 Mar 2025

New guidelines recommend 2 hours of weekly exercise for postpartum women

New mums should be strongly encouraged to begin clocking up at least two hours of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity such as brisk walking and muscle strengthening exercises each week in the first three months after birth, when physically able, to improve health and well-being, say experts in a new guideline published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

26 Mar 2025

New study challenges assumptions about youth and digital media

A groundbreaking new study of young people's digital media use has revealed surprising results, including evidence that smartphone ownership may actually benefit children.

26 Mar 2025

TikTok fuels ADHD self-diagnosis with misleading content, study shows

Psychologists find most TikTok videos about ADHD to be misleading, often overgeneralizing normal behaviors as symptoms. These videos shape young adults’ perceptions and contribute to rising self-diagnosis trends.

25 Mar 2025

Women with premenstrual syndrome appear to find relief from symptoms with placebos

Women affected by premenstrual syndrome (PMS) appear to experience less intense and debilitating symptoms after taking placebo pills even when told they do not contain any active medication, suggests a study published in the open-access journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

25 Mar 2025

The best diet for aging well, backed by a 30-year study of 100,000 people

A 30-year study of over 100,000 U.S. adults found that consistent adherence to healthy dietary patterns, especially the AHEI, was strongly linked to successful aging. Diets rich in plant-based foods and healthy fats, with some low-fat animal products, improved physical, mental, and cognitive health.

25 Mar 2025

High-salt diet induces depression-like symptoms in mice

A new study published in The Journal of Immunology found that a high-salt diet (HSD) induces depression-like symptoms in mice by driving the production of a protein called IL-17A.

25 Mar 2025