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 and Sleep Length

Can Depression and Anxiety Occur Together?

How Does Your Diet Affect Depression?

Prisoner Depression and Low Mood

Depression Diagnosis

Link Between Chronic Illness and Depression

Food Insecurity and Depression

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

Contributing Factors to Post-Adoption Depression

How is Depression in Children Diagnosed?

See more featured articles »

Treatment of Depression

The Science Behind the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder

Genes and Depression

Situational Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

How Can I Tell if My Child is Depressed?

Ghrelin and Depression

Depression in children

Symptoms of Depression

Treatment Options for Children with Depression

5 Facts You May Not Know About Depression

Causes of Depression

Intrusive Thoughts and Depression

Latest Depression News and Research

Stress worsens quality of life in adults with multiple illnesses

Perceived stress is more strongly associated with poorer health-related quality of life among adults living with two or more chronic conditions than among those without chronic conditions, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

12 Nov 2026

Biologic drug offers promising protection against alpha-gal syndrome

The summer of 2026 was a particularly bad season for ticks. And with it came a rising number of cases of alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) thanks to bites from the Lone Star Tick.

12 Nov 2026

Researchers associate personality shifts with frontotemporal dementia functional decline

Frontotemporal dementia often results in early changes in personality or behavior before changes in cognitive skills.

12 Nov 2026

New statement highlights urgent need to improve veterans' heart health

Fewer than 5% of U.S. military veterans may achieve optimal cardiovascular health based on the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8™ metrics, highlighting an urgent opportunity to improve prevention and help veterans live longer, healthier lives, according to a new scientific statement published today in the Association's flagship journal, Circulation.

11 Nov 2026

Chronic stress promotes oral cancer through a brain–immune pathway

Chronic psychological stress is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cancer, but how the brain communicates with the immune system to promote tumors has remained unclear.

11 Nov 2026

Exercise benefits mental health, so why is the genetic evidence so mixed?

A systematic review of 61 Mendelian randomization studies found limited and inconsistent genetic evidence that general physical activity causally improves mental health or cognitive outcomes; 30 studies reported only null or directionally opposite findings. More consistent evidence emerged for aerobic exercise and reduced depression risk, and for physical fitness traits, particularly muscle strength and muscle mass, in relation to better mental and cognitive health, although methodological limitations prevent definitive causal conclusions.

11 Nov 2026

New study links senior living arrangements to mental health outcomes

As traditional multigenerational households have become less common, increasing numbers of older adults are living alone or with only their spouses.

11 Nov 2026

Can psychedelics help treat cancer beyond easing end-of-life fear?

A new peer-reviewed review in Psychedelics opens on a strange fact, gathered from existing laboratory studies rather than new experiments: a brain tumor can learn to eavesdrop.

11 Nov 2026

Job-search app boosts employment rates and reduces depressive symptoms

Losing a job can be a life-shattering experience. And when depression complicates a job search, unemployment can become a vicious cycle.

10 Nov 2026

Swedish study identifies risk factors for prolonged opioid use after surgery

Opioids are effective medicines for severe pain following surgery, but prolonged use is associated with risks such as dependence and overdose.

10 Nov 2026

Wastewater bacteria offer clues to community-wide health patterns

Bacteria found in wastewater may provide clues about community health, including rates of chronic disease, health behaviors and social conditions, according to a recent study from The Ohio State University.

10 Nov 2026

PMDD symptoms follow three distinct patterns, study finds

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a common mood disorder associated with the menstrual cycle. A new study published in Nature Communications shows that PMDD does not follow any universal pattern, and that there are three subtypes with different patterns of symptoms.

10 Nov 2026

Choir singing improves lung function and mental wellbeing in children

Singing in a choir strengthens breathing capacity, decreases depression and anxiety, and improves perceived school functioning in children born with a single heart ventricle, according to a feasibility study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in Pediatric Cardiology.

10 Nov 2026

Study proposes overlooked genetic mechanism behind schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder run in families with a stubbornness that twin studies put at 81 percent heritability.

10 Nov 2026

Regular coffee consumption alters gut bacteria and digestive physiology

If you drink coffee regularly, it appears to alter not only your gut bacteria but also the physiology of the gut itself. That is the conclusion of a study from the University of Copenhagen, which may help point the way towards better treatments for constipation.

10 Nov 2026

Your Instagram photos may reveal more about loneliness than you think

Researchers analyzing Instagram data from 415 US college students found that photographs, language, and online activity provided moderately useful indicators of subjective loneliness but were less informative about social isolation. Social loneliness was associated with lower interpersonal engagement, while emotional loneliness was linked to negative language, sad or angry facial expressions in profile photographs, and late-night posting.

9 Nov 2026

Coffee, vegetables and exercise share a surprising connection in your gut

In a study of 6,803 Japanese adults, researchers identified two opposing gut microbiome patterns linking diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption with general health and 15 chronic diseases. Health-oriented microbial patterns were associated with butyrate production and lower inflammation, while disease-oriented patterns were linked to inflammatory processes, with microbiome-based prediction scores showing potential for distinguishing health and disease across international populations.

8 Nov 2026

Red meat and ultra-processed foods show no clear link to postpartum depression in new study

A prospective cohort study of 264 pregnant Iranian women found no statistically significant association between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods or red meat and probable postpartum depression assessed four to six weeks after childbirth. However, the relatively small sample size and imprecise estimates mean that potentially meaningful associations cannot be excluded, highlighting the need for larger studies.

8 Nov 2026

Looksmaxxing trend may expose boys and young men to physical, mental health risks

A rapidly growing online trend known as "looksmaxxing" may expose some boys and young men to significant physical and mental health risks, according to a new Commentary published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

6 Nov 2026

New AI framework improves early screening for Parkinson's disease

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have developed an artificial intelligence model to streamline and improve screening for Parkinson's disease (PD) so doctors can refer patients for early-stage testing.

5 Nov 2026