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

Pandemic has triggered changes in mental health and physical activity

New research from McMaster University suggests the pandemic has created a paradox where mental health has become both a motivator for and a barrier to physical activity.

13 Apr 2021

New grants could help protect the environment and create new therapy for Parkinson's

New grants from the State University of New York could help researchers at Binghamton University create a new therapy to provide relief to Parkinson's patients and help locate abandoned oil and gas wells.

12 Apr 2021

Antidepressant exposure in the womb may increase offspring's risk of affective disorders

Major depressive disorder is highly prevalent, with one in five people experiencing an episode at some point in their life, and is almost twice as common in women than in men.

12 Apr 2021

Research reveals the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on families' well-being and functioning

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, many families found themselves suddenly isolated together at home. A year later, new research has linked this period with a variety of large, detrimental effects on individuals' and families' well-being and functioning.

12 Apr 2021

Study demonstrates profound anhedonia in people with frontotemporal dementia

People with early-onset dementia are often mistaken for having depression and now Australian research has discovered the cause: a profound loss of ability to experience pleasure - for example a delicious meal or beautiful sunset - related to degeneration of 'hedonic hotspots' in the brain where pleasure mechanisms are concentrated.

12 Apr 2021

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected sleep patterns for many US citizens?

A team of scientists recently conducted an online survey to examine the changes in sleep duration among adult US citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Apr 2021

New digital platform to aid young Aussies living with incurable movement disorder

More than 20,000 young Aussies (under 50 years of age) living with an incurable movement disorder are set to benefit from the launch of an Australian-first digital support platform today (Thursday, April 8, 2021), ahead of World Parkinson’s Day (Sunday, April 11, 2021).

9 Apr 2021

Study reveals link between changes of neuronal activities and dyskinesia

Many people with Parkinson's disease develop abnormal movements called L-DOPA induced dyskinesia, a major side effect of long-term medication. The mechanism underlying this side effect has been unknown. In this study, researchers have revealed relation between changes of neuronal activities and dyskinesia.

9 Apr 2021

Supportive partners can buffer the detrimental effects of depression, external stress

Having a responsive, supportive partner minimizes the negative impacts of an individual's depression or external stress on their romantic relationship, according to research by a University of Massachusetts Amherst social psychologist.

9 Apr 2021

Accelerated cellular aging in depressed individuals associated with increased mortality risk

Cells from healthy individuals with major depressive disorder were found to have higher than expected rates of methylation at specific sites on their DNA, when compared to cells from healthy individuals without MDD, according to a study by a multidisciplinary team of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and University of California San Francisco scientists, in collaboration with others.

8 Apr 2021

Study offers a promising blood test for depression, bipolar disorder

Worldwide, 1 in 4 people will suffer from a depressive episode in their lifetime. While current diagnosis and treatment approaches are largely trial and error, a breakthrough study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on the biological basis of mood disorders, and offers a promising blood test aimed at a precision medicine approach to treatment.

8 Apr 2021

Study links chronic sinus inflammation with alterations in brain activity

The millions of people who have chronic sinusitis deal not only with stuffy noses and headaches, they also commonly struggle to focus, and experience depression and other symptoms that implicate the brain's involvement in their illness.

8 Apr 2021

Compassion training can improve the well-being of relatives of people with mental illness

If relatives of people with mental illness become better at accepting the difficult emotions and life events they experience - which is what training in compassion is about - their anxiety, depression and stress is reduced.

8 Apr 2021

Memory and executive function symptoms are valuable for predicting CTE pathology, suggests study

Diagnosing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) during life is crucial for developing therapies and for determining how common the disease is among individuals exposed to repetitive head impacts from contact sports, military service and physical violence.

7 Apr 2021

Finding ways to reverse a genetic cause of poor stress responses in mice

Everyone faces stress occasionally, whether in school, at work, or during a global pandemic. However, some cannot cope as well as others.

7 Apr 2021

Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder have accelerated cellular aging

Cells from individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were found to have higher than expected rates of methylation at specific sites on their DNA, when compared to cells from healthy individuals without MDD, according to a study by a multidisciplinary team of UC San Francisco scientists, in collaboration with others.

7 Apr 2021

Mother's stress levels during conception could be a determinant of fetal sex

A study carried out by scientists from the University of Granada has revealed that women who experience stress both before becoming pregnant and during conception are almost twice as likely to have a girl as a boy.

6 Apr 2021

Insomnia linked to more suicidal thoughts and disease severity in schizophrenia patients

Insomnia is a common problem in patients with schizophrenia, and a new study reinforces a close association between insomnia, more suicidal thoughts and actions and increased problems like anxiety and depression in these patients.

6 Apr 2021

Women experienced high rates of mental health problems early in COVID-19 pandemic

A study at the University of Chicago Medicine found U.S. women experienced increased incidence of health-related socioeconomic risks (HRSRs), such as food insecurity and interpersonal violence, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 Apr 2021

EMS workers face triple the risk for mental health problems

Emergency medical service (EMS) workers face triple the risk for significant mental health problems such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder compared to the general population, according to a recently published study by researchers from Syracuse University.

5 Apr 2021