Antidepressant News and Research

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Antidepressants are medicines that treat depression. Your doctor can prescribe them for you. They can improve your mood, sleep, appetite and concentration. It may take several weeks for them to help. There are several types of antidepressants. You and your doctor may have to try several before finding what works best for you.

This edible flower could do more than brighten a plate

A review of 76 publications finds that pot marigold contains more than 500 reported secondary metabolites, along with natural pigments, antioxidants, and substantial dietary fiber. Early food studies report promising results in yogurt, bread, pasta, and edible oils, but limited product trials and no clinical evidence currently prevent human health claims.

28 Jul 2026

Unlocking the untapped 90%: Membrane protein purification as a three hours routine workflow

Automated, detergent-free purification preserves native membrane protein structure while supporting more reliable target validation workflows.

From Analytik Jena 21 Jul 2026

Gut microbial metabolites may shape vulnerability to stress-related mental disorders

Gut microbiome-derived metabolites may influence stress-related mental disorders through neural, immune, endocrine, and epigenetic pathways. Evidence is strongest for depression and preclinical models, while larger longitudinal human studies are needed to establish causality and clinical value.

20 Jul 2026

Training helps pediatricians independently treat child anxiety and depression

Pediatricians who participated in the collaborative mental health program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago were more likely to diagnose and treat anxiety and depression in kids without reliance on additional support from specialists, according to a study published in Academic Pediatrics.

17 Jul 2026

ECT-like brain stimulation triggers unexpected nuclear reprogramming in mature neurons

Nearly 90 years after Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini introduced electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), brain stimulation therapies such as ECT and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) are common in psychiatry because they are highly effective for treating depression and schizophrenia, yet their cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood

17 Jul 2026

Study finds some sweeteners can slow the growth of gut bacteria

Cambridge researchers have shown how commonly-used sweeteners slow the growth of certain gut bacteria.

16 Jul 2026

Pediatric mental health treatment surged after the pandemic

When schools closed in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of children and adolescents receiving mental health treatment in the United States fell by more than half.

9 Jul 2026

New review shows why antidepressants often fail in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s depression

A Molecular Psychiatry review shows that depression in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease may reflect disease-specific molecular, neurotransmitter, inflammatory, and circuit-level disruptions rather than standard depression biology alone. It argues that broad antidepressants often show limited efficacy in these patients and that future trials should use biomarkers, neuroimaging, and symptom profiling to guide targeted treatments.

7 Jul 2026

Psychiatry may be moving closer to precision medicine

For decades, treating depression has largely involved a difficult form of medical guesswork: prescribing one antidepressant after another in hopes that one will eventually help.

6 Jul 2026

Cannabidiol shows preclinical promise for anxiety, depression and cognition

A new meta-analysis suggests that CBD may improve emotional behavior and cognition in animal models, but researchers caution that its clinical benefits still need to be proven in humans.

1 Jul 2026

UC San Diego study reveals genetic causes of rare neuromuscular disorders

Scientists at the University of California San Diego have uncovered how genetic mutations cause a rare group of inherited neuromuscular disorders and identified promising new strategies to correct them, including a potential new use for an existing antidepressant.

1 Jul 2026

Scientists map how chronic stress alters somatostatin levels in the brain

Consider the brake. Not the engine, which gets all the attention, but the brake, the quiet thing that decides how fast a system is allowed to go.

1 Jul 2026

Review assesses the efficacy of creatine as an add-on therapy for depression

Walk into any gym supplement aisle and creatine is there, sold by the tub to people chasing bigger muscles. It is one of the most studied compounds in sports science.

30 Jun 2026

Functional brain imaging can help guide accelerated TMS for depression

Mass General Brigham study suggests that functional brain imaging can help guide accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression.

24 Jun 2026

Probiotics help reduce depressive symptoms in older adults

In a pilot clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that included older adults with depression receiving standard care, adding probiotic therapy produced modest but meaningful reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms compared with adding a placebo.

17 Jun 2026

Grandparents can help counter growing children's mental health challenges

As more than 40% of American teenagers report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, a leading child psychologist says grandparents and extended family have a vital role to play.

13 Jun 2026

Parkinson's drug may ease anhedonia in treatment-resistant depression

For many people who suffer from depression, the condition is not just about feeling down, but also about a loss of motivation and difficulty finding pleasure in activities they used to enjoy.

12 Jun 2026

Remote work explains part of the post-pandemic rise in mental distress

Researchers found that workers in remote jobs spent more time alone after the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced greater psychological distress than those in non-remote jobs. The effects were strongest among people living alone, suggesting that reduced everyday social contact may be an important cost of remote work.

10 Jun 2026

Large study uncovers brain network differences in bipolar disorder

New research from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has discovered subtle but widespread differences in the brain's communication networks in people with bipolar disorder, offering new insight into how illness severity and treatment may relate to brain wiring.

9 Jun 2026

New study identifies brain circuit behind TMS’s antidepressant effects

A circuit that runs from the prefrontal cortex near the front of the brain to a deeper brain structure called the insular cortex appears to mediate the antidepressant effects of a newer form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

9 Jun 2026