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.

Food Insecurity and Depression

Situational Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

Intrusive Thoughts and Depression

The Science Behind the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder

Prisoner Depression and Low Mood

Ghrelin and Depression

Symptoms of Depression

Depression and Sleep Length

Causes of Depression

Can Depression and Anxiety Occur Together?

5 Facts You May Not Know About Depression

See more featured articles »

Link Between Chronic Illness and Depression

Treatment Options for Children with Depression

How Does Your Diet Affect Depression?

Treatment of Depression

Depression Diagnosis

Depression in children

How is Depression in Children Diagnosed?

How Can I Tell if My Child is Depressed?

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

Antidepressants and Weight Changes

Genes and Depression

Contributing Factors to Post-Adoption Depression

Latest Depression News and Research

Extra sleep after the autumn clock change linked to reduced demand for NHS health services

The week after the autumn clock change is associated with a reduction in demand for NHS services for sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and psychiatric conditions in England, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

18 Dec 2025

Washington’s homeless hide in plain sight, growing sicker and costing taxpayers more

Every night, Abdullah Ibrahim retreats from the streets into a wooded stretch along the Potomac River.

18 Dec 2025

Couples-based programs boost heart-healthy behaviors

Research highlights the need for couple-based interventions in heart disease to focus on emotional support and relationship quality for better health outcomes.

18 Dec 2025

Social isolation emerges as a key, independent risk factor for cognitive decline

Using longitudinal data from the US Health and Retirement Study, this study applied causal inference modeling to disentangle the independent and joint effects of social isolation and loneliness on later-life cognitive function. It shows that reducing social isolation is associated with modest but meaningful protection against cognitive decline, with loneliness mediating only a small proportion of this effect.

17 Dec 2025

Coordinated housing and health care models better serve homeless populations

Organizations aiming to help homeless people with either housing or health care can be more effective when they form partnerships with other service groups, a Rutgers study has found.

17 Dec 2025

Confusing symptom questionnaires could undermine mental health diagnosis and treatment

Imagine sitting down for an appointment with a therapist – or any care provider. Perhaps it's the first time you've seen this provider, or the first time in a while. You'll likely need to fill out a form with a set of questions to ensure they know why you're there or how you're doing.

17 Dec 2025

Study examines fairness of oxygen desaturation thresholds in sleep apnea diagnosis

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder in the U.S. affecting tens of millions, with estimates ranging from 25 to more than 80 million adults.

17 Dec 2025

Stress may help explain why patients with depression are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease

Patients with depression are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and a new study suggests that stress may help explain why.

17 Dec 2025

Chronic breathlessness drives longer hospital stays and higher healthcare costs

Chronic breathlessness, a symptom often overlooked by healthcare systems, is associated with longer lengths of hospital stay on already overstretched healthcare resources, says new Flinders University research.

16 Dec 2025

Combined physical frailty and depression may sharply raise dementia risk

Concurrent physical frailty and depression likely boost the risk of dementia in older people, with the interaction of these 2 factors alone contributing around 17% of the overall risk, suggest the findings of a large international study, published in the open access journal General Psychiatry.

16 Dec 2025

Positive parenting reduces the risk of adolescent self-harm

Self-harm refers to intentionally injuring one's own body as a coping mechanism to emotional distress. It manifests in many forms and has serious consequences not only on physical health but also on mental health. Self-harm among adolescents is becoming a significant public issue.

16 Dec 2025

Functional MRI signals can misrepresent true brain activity

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) found that an increased fMRI signal is associated with reduced brain activity in around 40 percent of cases.

16 Dec 2025

Tau biology expands beyond microtubules to neurodegeneration, metabolism and mental illness

An Thought Leaders Invited Review published today in Genomic Psychiatry by Dr. Peng Lei and colleagues presents a sweeping synthesis of tau protein research that fundamentally reframes our understanding of this molecule's dual identity.

16 Dec 2025

Six midlife depressive symptoms linked to dementia decades later

Six particular depressive symptoms when experienced in midlife predict dementia risk more than two decades later, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

15 Dec 2025

FDA panelists questioned antidepressants in pregnancy. But doctors call them a lifeline.

If you are pregnant or a new mother who is struggling with depression or anxiety, you can call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, 24/7: 833-TLC-MAMA (833-852-6262). Postpartum Support International can help connect you with a local mental health provider at 800-944-4773 or psidirectory.com.

15 Dec 2025

New CMS models could reshape the landscape for lifestyle medicine practice and reimbursement

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) applauds two new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) models that could significantly reshape the landscape for lifestyle medicine practice and reimbursement.

12 Dec 2025

UC Irvine receives funding for clinical trial of neural stem cell therapy for Huntington's disease

Leslie M. Thompson, Donald Bren Professor of psychiatry and human behavior as well as neurobiology and behavior at the University of California, Irvine, has received an $11,999,933 grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for an unprecedented clinical trial of a novel neural stem cell therapy for Huntington's disease.

12 Dec 2025

Etomidate proves safer than ketamine for emergency intubations

Doctors treating seriously ill patients in an emergency setting may want to give the sedative etomidate, rather than ketamine, while placing a breathing tube, according to a randomized trial published Dec. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

12 Dec 2025

Mobile health intervention improves quality of life for adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors

A mobile health (mHealth) intervention for adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors that offered tailored support by monitoring electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) significantly improved quality of life and symptoms related to vaginal and arm problems, according to results from a randomized clinical trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 9-12, 2025.

12 Dec 2025

Massive genetics study shows what truly separates and unites 14 psychiatric disorders

This large-scale genomic analysis of 14 psychiatric disorders shows that most heritable risk is shared across five broad genetic factors, with only limited disorder-specific variation. The study maps where risks converge or diverge biologically, revealing distinct cell type signatures and developmental pathways that may guide future diagnostic and therapeutic frameworks.

12 Dec 2025