Most clinical trials of antidepressants were done decades ago in people with severe depression recruited from specialist mental health services. Yet most people who take these drugs have mild to moderate depression. We wanted to know whether a common antidepressant called sertraline works for this group. We found that, indeed, it does work, but differently from how we expected.

For three decades, people have been deluged with information suggesting that depression is caused by a “chemical imbalance” in the brain – namely an imbalance of a brain chemical called serotonin. However, our latest research review shows that the evidence does not support it.

Suicide attempts are not always preceded by worsening suicidal ideation.

Many people who struggle with addiction feel a lot of guilt and shame over their use. A new study published in PLOS One suggests that independent of depression, this shame and guilt can be significant barriers to reducing drug use, which has considerations for recovery.

Macquarie University is running a clinical trial using a low-dose formulation of synthetic psilocybin

Antidepressants are the mainstay for treating depression, but their use is clouded by questions about lasting efficacy. A new study now suggests antidepressants may not improve people's quality of life in the long run, compared to depressed people w

Psilocybin fosters greater connections between different regions of the brain in depressed people, freeing them up from long-held patterns of rumination and excessive self-focus, according to a new study by scientists at UC San Francisco and Imperial College London.

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) today. The brief also highlights who has been most affected and summarizes the effect of the pandemic on the availability of mental health services and how this has changed during the pandemic.

Once counterculture staples, LSD and magic mushrooms are starting to trip out another world: psychiatry. A small—but rapidly growing—group of doctors is embracing the drugs as powerful tools against a myriad of mental demons. People suffering from depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have all benefited from psychedelics in small controlled trials. Psychedelics, over 50 years after the Summer of Love, have once again taken flight.

Electroconvulsive therapy appears to be more effective than ketamine, according to a randomized controlled trial that examined hospitalized, severely depressed patients. But the findings, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, indicate that both treatment options are relatively safe and valuable tools for treating depression. ...

Older people who take part in the sport say it has a ‘spiritual meaning’ in their lives and boosts their wellbeing and happiness.

People with depression show distinct patterns of online activity, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. Twitter users who said they had a diagnosis of depression were more active on Twitter in the evening, less active in the early morning, and ruminated more on Twitter from midnight to around 6 a.m.

Yup, it's that time of year again. Out with the old, in with the new. Time to stand on the cusp of the next calendar year. Research reports about 45% of the American population make one or more resolutions at the turn of each New Year- with some of the top resolutions involving weight loss, exercising more, getting finances in order, stopping smoking or drinking, spending too much or other "bad" habits.

It's okay if it's not the most wonderful time of the year.

Researchers in psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience have struggled for years to define, understand, and analyze depression, which torments untold millions of people around the globe. In clinical diagnosis, depression is understood as a collection of symptoms, which must be present together in sufficient number and for a certain length of time.

Understanding depression as an altered state of consciousness, like a dream or drug trip, could help people awaken from it

New research reviews thinking errors in depression. Suppose you are leaving a party, when, suddenly, you notice a guest looking at you and frowning. Why is the person frowning?

An electrical implant that sits in the skull and is wired to the brain can detect and treat severe depression, US scientists believe after promising results with a first patient. Sarah, who is 36, had the device fitted more than a year ago and says it has turned her life around. The matchbox-sized pack in her head is always "on" but only delivers an impulse when it senses she may need it.

And happy people just might be slightly delusional. Feeling blue? Strangely, it might mean that you're actually better at judging your performance—and reality in general—than when you're not.