Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Ultra-processed foods linked to higher psoriasis risk

A large UK Biobank study found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with an increased risk of developing psoriasis. Each 10% increase in UPF intake raised psoriasis risk by 6%, with obesity and inflammation partially mediating this effect.

4 May 2025

New research maps neural overlap in insomnia, depression, and anxiety

New research from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience maps the similarities and differences between the three most common brain disorders.

3 May 2025

Medicaid enrollment drops linked to disrupted care for young people

Children and young adults with depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, asthma and epilepsy can get great relief from medications to control their symptoms, helping them stay in school or work and prepare for their futures.

3 May 2025

New imaging technique reveals live neural activity in deep brain regions

The communication between the brain and bodily organs is fundamental to emotion regulation and overall mental health.

2 May 2025

Getting active in midlife may boost brain resilience to Alzheimer’s

In cognitively healthy middle-aged adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, becoming physically active, especially in line with WHO guidelines, was linked to lower brain amyloid burden. Remaining sedentary was associated with reduced cortical thickness in brain regions vulnerable to AD.

1 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

COVID-19 restrictions linked to better birth timing but worse mental health

A global review reveals that while lockdowns helped reduce early births in some regions, they also worsened maternal mental health, highlighting the need for more tailored support during future health crises.

1 May 2025

Caffeine increases brain complexity during sleep and shifts it toward a critical state

Caffeine shifts brain activity during sleep by increasing EEG complexity and reducing long-range temporal correlations, particularly in non-REM (NREM) sleep. These changes reflect a movement toward a “critical regime” of neural processing, more pronounced in younger adults.

1 May 2025

Curcumin shows promise for treating obesity, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers explore the medicinal role of curcumin in the treatment and prevention of neuroinflammation and metabolic disorders.

30 Apr 2025

ADHD and anxiety show different patterns in boys and girls

ADHD can exacerbate anxiety, and anxiety can exacerbate ADHD. Girls are particularly vulnerable to developing anxiety disorders, but researchers have recently discovered something that may help slow down – or prevent – the development of these types of disorders.

29 Apr 2025

Study uncovers why anxiety and depression lead to low self-belief

Researchers at UCL have uncovered why individuals who experience anxiety and depression often struggle with persistent low self-belief in their abilities.

29 Apr 2025

Better sleep, BMI, and glucose control lower female infertility odds

A new study using NHANES data found that higher Life’s Crucial 9 (LC9) scores, reflecting better cardiovascular and mental health, were linked to lower odds of female infertility. However, adding depression to the LE8 framework did not significantly improve its predictive value.

29 Apr 2025

Disrupted body clocks raise risk of early death, study finds

A large cohort study from China and the U.S. shows that Circadian Syndrome (CircS)—a cluster of metabolic and behavioral disruptions—is linked to higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The risk increases with the number of CircS components, especially among adults aged 40–60.

29 Apr 2025

Northwestern researchers call for better survivorship care for cancer patients

More Americans are beating cancer than ever, yet many still grapple with treatment's long shadow - especially on their mental health.

29 Apr 2025

Why different loneliness tests still identify the same emotional struggles

Researchers examined how loneliness classifications, by frequency, distress, or chronicity, relate to cognitive and behavioral traits in 790 adults. Despite modest agreement between classification methods, the study found consistent psychological patterns among lonely individuals across all types of loneliness.

29 Apr 2025

Gut bacteria and metabolites reveal depression-linked patterns in older adults

A cross-sectional study of 400 older adults with metabolic syndrome reveals that individuals with depression have distinct gut microbiota and metabolite profiles. Eight bacterial genera and 15 fecal metabolites were significantly associated with depression, suggesting a gut-brain axis link.

29 Apr 2025

Cancer-related fatigue and depression found to limit recreational activities in survivors

Cancer survivors who reported feeling cancer-related fatigue or depression reduced their recreational activities nearly twofold, with females more likely than males to report feeling either cancer-related fatigue or depression, according to a retrospective study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025, held April 25-30.

29 Apr 2025

Teen depression may offer better treatment opportunities with flexible symptoms

Depression in young teens could be easier to treat than in adulthood due to the symptoms being more flexible and not yet ingrained, a study shows.

29 Apr 2025

Noninvasive brain modulation using sound waves shows promise for depression and anxiety

Patients suffering from depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders experienced significant relief from their symptoms after a new treatment that uses sound waves to modulate deep brain activity, according to new research from Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

28 Apr 2025