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

Latest Depression News and Research

Expression of certain genes may play role in susceptibility to PTSD

Results from a new study suggest that whether certain genes are expressed -- turned on or off-- may play a role in susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder.

2 Jun 2020

Acceptance from families, communities shapes the lives of Sierra Leone's former child soldiers

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, reports that many of the former child soldiers of Sierra Leone have been accepted by their families and communities as they try to overcome their childhood trauma, according to a team led by Boston College School of Social Work Salem Professor in Global Practice, Theresa S. Betancourt.

2 Jun 2020

People suffering from cluster headache often face a long delay in being diagnosed properly

New research led by Keele University has found that people suffering from cluster headache often face a long delay in being diagnosed correctly.

2 Jun 2020

COVID-19 pandemic has worsened pre-existing mental health conditions

With over 6.26 million cases and 375,000 deaths in just five months, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused great fear and devastation in many parts of the world. Many studies show that, generally, there has been an accompanying increase in fear, anxiety, and depressive symptoms during this period. Now, a new study published on the online preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 shows that patients with a history of mental ill-health often underwent a worsening of their symptoms with the onset of the pandemic.

1 Jun 2020

COVID-19 negatively impacts people with eating disorders

A study analyzing the early impact that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is having on people with eating disorders has identified areas where their treatment needs could be better addressed.

1 Jun 2020

High prenatal choline levels may mitigate negative effects of COVID-19 on newborns

Pregnant women who take extra choline supplements may mitigate the negative impact that viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19, can have on their babies, according to a new study from researchers in the Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

1 Jun 2020

Study shows mental toll of being a frontline healthcare worker during COVID-19

They worked in hospitals hundreds of miles from the epicenter of COVID-19. Their city of 24 million people locked down hard enough, and did enough testing, that it only had a few hundred cases of the disease.

1 Jun 2020

SDSU researchers aim to develop intervention strategy to prevent LGBTQ youth suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults, behind unintentional injury, with suicide attempts much higher among LGBTQ youth (23% to 45%) than their heterosexual and cisgender peers (5%).

1 Jun 2020

‘Why do we always get hit first?’ Proposed budget cuts target vulnerable Californians

Shirley Madden, 83, relies on a caregiver and her two grown daughters to remain living at home — and not in a nursing home.

1 Jun 2020

Social isolation can lead to depression in children long after current lockdown

Children and adolescents are likely to experience high rates of depression and anxiety long after current lockdown and social isolation ends and clinical services need to be prepared for a future spike in demand, according to the authors of a new rapid review into the long-term mental health effects of lockdown.

1 Jun 2020

Anesthetic drug Ketamine uses serotonin receptors to relieve depression

Ketamine is a drug used to induce general anesthesia. It has also been found to act rapidly to relieve depression that has failed to respond to two other rounds of medication. A new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry in May 2020 reports the mechanism of action of the drug, which was hitherto unknown. This could help find new ways to treat this debilitating and sometimes fatal condition.

31 May 2020

Researchers show how ketamine fights difficult-to-treat depression

The anaesthetic drug ketamine has been shown, in low doses, to have a rapid effect on difficult-to-treat depression.

31 May 2020

Chronobiological treatment can help treat insomnia

Insomnia disorder is the second-most common mental health problem and a major risk factor for depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is the treatment of choice and has successfully been provided through the Internet (ICBTI).

29 May 2020

Radiation and surgery do not prolong survival in newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer

Up to now, women who present with a new diagnosis of breast cancer that is already in an advanced stage (stage IV) face an unanswered question about whether surgery and radiation to the tumor in the breast (local therapy) will prolong survival compared to the traditional treatment of systemic treatment alone.

29 May 2020

For seniors, COVID-19 sets off a pandemic of despair

As states relax coronavirus restrictions, older adults are advised, in most cases, to keep sheltering in place. But for some, the burden of isolation and uncertainty is becoming hard to bear.

28 May 2020

Molecular pair offers hope for development of new Parkinson's treatment

A promising molecular pair has offered hope that could lead to the development of a new treatment to slow down Parkinson's disease, a study by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Harvard University has found.

27 May 2020

How India's lockdown has affected mental health

India’s public landscape has transformed dramatically over the last couple of months, with the most prolonged lockdown that the present generation can remember. Declared on March 24, 2020, the lockdown ensured that hundreds of millions of people were effectively confined to home, except when they ventured out, armed with a self-attested affidavit, to stock up on essentials.

27 May 2020

Study: High level of anxiety is linked to depression

Led by King's College London in collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and published in The Lancet's EClinicalMedicine journal, the research examined a group of people with depression in Zimbabwe and found that people are nearly three times more likely to suffer this illness long-term if they also have a high level of anxiety.

27 May 2020

Higher spirituality linked to better quality of life for stroke survivors and their caregivers

Higher spirituality among stroke survivors was strongly linked to better quality of life for them and their caregivers who may also feel depressed, according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

26 May 2020

Researchers identify 29 genetic variants linked to problematic drinking

A genome-wide analysis of more than 435,000 people has identified 29 genetic variants linked to problematic drinking, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues report May 25 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

26 May 2020