Major Depressive Disorder News and Research

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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia (significant loss of interest or pleasure). The condition affects more than 15.7 million adults and approximately 3 million adolescents (aged 13 to 17 years) in the USA each year.

Genetic markers show promise in predicting mood disorder treatment outcomes

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Thought Leaders Invited Review, researchers have synthesized findings from dozens of studies examining how genetic markers for mood disorders influence treatment outcomes and clinical features across major psychiatric conditions.

24 Jun 2025

Uncovering unexpected impacts of popular GLP-1 diabetes drugs

GLP-1 drugs show promise in diabetes management, offering heart and kidney benefits, but also highlight the need for vigilance regarding new health risks.

17 Jun 2025

Single-dose of psilocybin shows long-term relief for depression in cancer patients

New results from a clinical trial reveal that a single dose of psilocybin-a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in mushrooms-can provide sustained reductions in depression and anxiety in individuals with cancer suffering from major depressive disorder.

16 Jun 2025

Understanding the role of astrocytes in depression and neuroinflammation

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental health condition that negatively affects the mood of a person and causes a loss of interest in activities that were previously associated with happiness.

13 Jun 2025

Psilocybin rewires the brain for weeks, study finds

Psilocybin induces consistent and sustained changes in brain network connectivity, particularly between the hippocampus and default mode network, as shown using high-resolution fMRI in healthy adults. These neural effects, distinct from those produced by methylphenidate, may underlie the drug’s psychological benefits and were reproducible within individuals over time.

10 Jun 2025

Dr. Stephen Ross’s research into psychedelic medicine expands therapeutic frontiers

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview published today, Dr. Stephen Ross, a leading figure in psychedelic medicine at New York University (NYU), reveals how a serendipitous conversation in 2006 launched his journey into investigating psychedelic compounds as potential breakthrough treatments for some of psychiatry's most challenging conditions.

10 Jun 2025

Researchers show cannabis dependence drives links to psychiatric disorders

Research uncovers genetic connections between cannabis addiction and psychiatric disorders, urging a reevaluation of cannabis legalization and treatment.

2 Jun 2025

Multiple chatbots simulate group therapy to help women manage premenstrual syndrome

A research team has designed and implemented a group motivational interviewing system using multiple chatbots to support premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a common disorder among women.

2 Jun 2025

Researchers prolong ketamine’s antidepressant benefits to two months

Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population is afflicted with major depressive disorder at any given time, and up to 20 percent will exhibit MDD symptoms over their lifetimes.

22 May 2025

Mount Sinai researchers explore new depression treatment targeting brain’s potassium channels

A mechanism involving potassium channels in the brain that control brain cell activity could provide a new and fundamentally different way of treating depression symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder, according to two complementary papers published recently by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

21 May 2025

Early vitamin D deficiency increases risk of ADHD, schizophrenia and autism

Newborn babies with a vitamin D deficiency have a higher chance of later developing mental disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia and autism, a major study involving The University of Queensland has found.

14 May 2025

GLP-1 receptor agonists improve mood and metabolic health in adults with mental illness

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) can lead to significant weight loss and improve blood sugar control in adults with severe mental illness, as well as having positive effects on mood, well-being, and quality of life in those both with and without mental illness, according to a systematic review of the available evidence being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May).

11 May 2025

Eating disorders affect all races and genders on college campuses

What does a person with an eating disorder look like? The picture may not be as clear-cut as many people think.

8 May 2025

Norwegian study shows teens who move more cut their depression risk

Norwegian researchers found that increasing physical activity in adolescence reduces future depression risk, especially from ages 14 to 18. Within-person analysis showed that higher activity protected against depressive symptoms, while sedentary time had no such effect.

6 May 2025

High certainty and large rewards boost motivation in formerly depressed individuals

New research shows that individuals who have recovered from depression are generally less willing to exert effort to pursue potential rewards compared to those who have never experienced depression, unless the rewards are large and highly likely.

1 May 2025

Study illuminates a general principle of neural processing in the brain’s serotonin system

Our lives are filled with binary decisions – choices between one of two alternatives. But what's really happening inside our brains when we engage in this kind of decision making?

25 Apr 2025

Study: Mental health providers often miss bulimia diagnosis

When presented with a vignette describing the behaviors and characteristics of a patient with disordered eating, only a quarter of mental health providers who participated in a new study were able to correctly diagnose bulimia nervosa.

1 Apr 2025

Novel PET imaging method quantifies brain inflammation enzyme

A novel PET imaging approach can effectively quantify a key enzyme associated with brain inflammation, according to research published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

28 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

The Colorado psychedelic mushroom experiment has arrived

Colorado regulators are issuing licenses for providing psychedelic mushrooms and are planning to authorize the state's first "healing centers," where the mushrooms can be ingested under supervision, in late spring or early summer.

24 Mar 2025