Having five of nine key symptoms constitutes a major depression

Depression is much more than sadness—and isn't fleeting

The American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5—used for defining diagnoses—says a person must be experiencing five or more symptoms of depression most of the day over at least two weeks. Research indicates older people are less likely than younger people to meet that depression benchmark, though this article says they still often have at least several of the depression symptoms.

Roughly 10% of the world has SSAD—SAD’s milder, nonclinical cousin

Subsyndromal affective disorder is diagnosed when someone exhibits two of the nine major criteria for depression (but not more than five) as a result of seasonal changes. While it is milder than primary SAD, SSAD is still significant and impacts millions.

Mental health is much more than the absence of mental illness, according to its official definition from the World Health Organization.

Could all mental health disorders have a unifying 'p-factor'?

Some researchers have argued in the past couple decades that all mental health disorders may have a unifying dimension—a theoretical "p-factor" that is common across mental illness, but life experiences and behaviors influence if and how illness manifests. Proponents point to similarities across different disorders, while detractors argue that such connections are largely exaggerated.

Key tips for helping the depressed—including listening without judgment

Major depressive disorder is a clinical diagnosis and is not a lifestyle choice. Those who struggle with depression can express persistent feelings that are difficult to process and make sense of for friends and family. This guide walks through some counterintuitive perspectives, including resisting the urge to force a depressed person to do the things that would make them feel better.

Mental health symptoms may manifest differently across cultures because physical and mental health are imbued with values, beliefs, and traditions.

1 in 10 US adults are taking medication for depression

A US government report indicates that about 10% of US adults took prescription medication for this disorder in 2023. Women, at 15.3%, were more than twice as likely to take one of these medications than the 7.4% of men.

Women are four times as likely to be diagnosed with seasonal depression

This prevalence trend mirrors the broader incidence of depression among women and is well-documented. Researchers suggest the disparity stems from differences in hormones, social role expectations, coping mechanisms, and more. Men may also present with depression differently, and seek help less.

Inflammation appears to cause specific symptoms of depression

A large analysis of existing studies published in 2021 found that systemic inflammation is associated with fatigue, appetite changes, and sleep disruption, rather than some of depression's broader symptoms including hopelessness about the future, or feeling fearful. This may suggest that inflammation influences specific symptoms of the condition, rather than the disease as a whole.

US depression rates at historic high among adults

More than 18% of US adults reported that they currently have or are being treated for depression in both 2024 and 2025. In the 2025 survey, more than 11,000 adults were surveyed. The numbers have ticked upward since 2015—by about 8 percentage points—with most of the increase occurring from the 2020 pandemic onward.

35% of polled Americans said they'd view people differently if they knew they had a mental illness.

Antidepressants alone may fail to help an estimated one-third to one-half of depressed patients.

One signal that a recession has become a depression? When GDP declines more than 10%

There’s no single definition for recessions or depressions, but both are marked by sustained periods of declining economic activity. Depressions are more severe than recessions.

American medical organizations rescind recognition of diagnosis cited in police custody deaths

American medical organizations have rescinded their recognition of a syndrome whose theory stemmed from discredited research. This article explores the history and implications of "excited delirium syndrome," a medical condition that can reportedly...

Schizophrenia is challenging to diagnose and treat

The disorder is diagnosed by a clinician who observes behaviors and medical history and may run additional tests to rule out other explanations for symptoms including physical injury or other mental health disorders. But, ultimately, it's largely a diagnosis of exclusion—since there is no definitive test for the disease. Antipsychotic medications can help control its symptoms for some patients, but there is no cure for schizophrenia.

Key symptoms of burnout can be both mental and physical

Burnout can be accompanied by several symptoms, including low energy and chronic fatigue, trouble concentrating, difficulty sleeping, and depression. It may even manifest physically as musculoskeletal pain, headaches, stomach and intestinal pain, and more. More intense cases have been linked to cardiovascular and mental health disorders.

PTSD is a long-lasting mental disorder linked to past traumatic events

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition arising from traumatic events with four key symptoms: intrusive memories, avoidance behavior, negative moods and thoughts, and changes in emotional and physical reactions.

JJ Schildkraut theorized depression is linked to brain chemical imbalances—in 1965

Schildkraut was one of the first to put forward this idea, which stemmed from lab animal research. A decade later, researchers published the first landmark paper on fluoxetine—better known by trade name Prozac—which increases serotonin levels in the brain.

SAD 101 from the folks at NIMH—where the condition was first identified

Norman Rosenthal led the team at the National Institute of Mental Health that first identified and described seasonal affective disorder in 1984. This 101 from NIMH explores the basics of the condition, from who develops it to how it is treated.

'Melancholia' was the ancient Greek term for depression

"Melancholia" in Hippocrates's time was derived from the Greek word for black bile. This term made sense in its context since the Greeks believed that depression stemmed from an improper balance of the four humors.

Mental health applications of psychedelics

Scientists are investigating psilocybin, ketamine, LSD, and MDMA (also known as ecstasy) as potential treatments for mental health issues. These drugs enable an altered state of consciousness, which can have beneficial or harmful impacts depending on the nature of the experience. Research suggests these drugs can be effective in treating substance use disorders, mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.

Anhedonia, which means 'without pleasure' in Greek, is typical in major depressive disorder

This common symptom—a flat affect—results in previously enjoyable hobbies no longer bringing pleasure. People with anhedonia may also avoid social situations because they anticipate they'll bring no joy, not because of anxiety or fear.

How depression affects the brain

Treatment for depression has historically hinged on the theory that the condition was caused by underactive or abnormal neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin and norepinephrine. This four-minute video by Yale Medicine details how these neurotransmitters didn't explain the symptoms of depression but, two other neurotransmitters involved in regulating mood and emotion did. GABA and glutamate, some of the brain's most plentiful neurotransmitters, may possibly be the source of depressive symptoms.

Bipolar disorder, which is characterized by extreme mood swings, affects nearly 3% of the US population

There are two types of this disorder. Bipolar 1 features a significant manic episode—abnormally elevated mood and frantic energy—followed by repeated depression, while Bipolar 2 vacillates between depressive episodes and hypomania, a milder form of mania, but not a full mania. Listen to this podcast as experts explain the condition.

The depression paradox refers to a lack of energy to take action to help alleviate it

Activities like exercise, even at low levels, have been shown to alleviate some of depression's symptoms for some people. However, depression saps energy levels, making it particularly difficult to motivate oneself to take helpful action.

'Mental hygiene' was the 1843 term for mental health

It was coined by American psychiatrist William Sweetzer to reference the same idea as personal hygiene. Mental hygiene, in Sweetzer's view, needed to be maintained in the same way people attend to their personal cleanliness, an idea that was supplanted by better understanding of the complexities of mental health disorder causes in the decades that followed.

See how antidepressants—used by roughly 1 in 10 Americans—were discovered.

See a collection of mental health cartoons.

Anxiety is one of the world's most common mental health disorders, causing persistent excessive fear and worry that interferes with daily activities.

Learn how Hollywood tries to get mental health portrayals right

"Entertainment is always the first priority," the director of medical research for "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" explained in this Newsweek article. But, medical consultants and dedicated groups like the University of Southern California's Hollywood, Health, and Society program, can help inform shows' characters, actions, and sensitivities on subjects like mental illness.

Australian psychiatrists already prescribe psilocybin and MDMA for depression and PTSD

The country green lighted the treatments for July 1, 2023, onward, with MDMA—ectasy—as a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, and psilocybin—magic mushrooms—as an option for people with treatment-resistant depression.

Why we should care about renaming the hormonal disorder PCOS to PMOS

The new name, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, nods to the hormonal disruptions that cause this condition, which affects roughly one in eight women. People with PMOS may have symptoms including irregular periods, trouble conceiving, weight gain, acne, undesired hair growth, and more. The earlier name, polycystic ovary syndrome, was a misnomer because women with the condition don't have cysts in their ovaries. Rather, they have masses that are actually immature follicles. World health experts think the condition often goes undiagnosed.

How psilocybin could transform mental health treatment

How magical are magic mushrooms, at least where depression is concerned? Some 24 volunteers participated in a study to evaluate the efficacy of using psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy to treat individuals suffering from depression. While some controversies remain about its use—psilocybin is known to cause psychosis sometimes—some scientists think the benefits outweigh the risks.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a mental health disorder, not a personality quirk

In popular culture OCD has been incorrectly overused to describe neatness or perfectionistic behaviors, but the disorder involves intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that take over a person's actions.

Four psychological tools for a happier, calmer life

The perennial debate on how to be happy involves various aspects of life, and one of the most essential is our psychological attitudes toward experiences. This piece lists and explains four basic tools to strengthen your "psychological immune...

Depression changes the brain, causing distinct structural alterations visible on brain scans, but effective treatment can eventually make a depressed brain resemble a healthy one.

Psychedelic side effects, including worsening mental health for some patients, give pause

This article explores whether the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drug use is really as good as current research suggests. Scientists are exploring its applications for conditions ranging from the existential crisis that can accompany terminal diagnoses to chronic mental health conditions, including anxiety and PTSD.

How did the pandemic affect mental health?

Read this research brief to learn more about why heightened mental health and substance use concerns persist three years after the outbreak of COVID-19. According to a recent survey, the vast majority of American adults view the nation as facing a...

Prolonged Grief Disorder has certain recognizable risk factors

This official diagnosis is characterized by intense, daily symptoms of grief a year after the loss of a loved one among adults and faster—around at least six months—for kids and teens. Factors that put people at increased risk of this disorder include being single, attachment anxiety, violent or unnatural death, low education, low income, and multiple losses, among others.

Examining self-diagnosed synesthesia

A growing number of people on social media claim to have a perceptual condition that lets them smell colors, see music, or taste sounds. But do they really?

Clinical insomnia is defined as trouble sleeping for three nights per week for at least one month

The term "insomnia" is often used in popular culture to refer to general difficulty sleeping or staying asleep. In the US, insomnia transitions to a clinical disorder when symptoms—dissatisfying, nonrestful, and life-disrupting sleep—occur at least three nights per week for at least one month and cause "clinically significant" distress in important areas of life.

Gut microbiome experiments involving transfers of gut microbes from depressed people to rodents indicate that the rodents may then display depression-like symptoms.

Schizophrenia symptoms often appear suddenly

Schizophrenia is a particularly shocking mental illness because its symptoms may appear seemingly without any prior signs of illness after a person has had no symptoms for the first couple of decades of their life. Among teens, symptoms may look like typical adolescent behaviors—withdrawal, being irritable, and having trouble sleeping.

A psychiatrist warns that chasing happiness can lead to misery

Rafa Euba, a retired consultant psychiatrist, argues that happiness is a vague and abstract concept that is hard to quantify. He suggests accepting that suffering and pain are a normal part of life. An attainable goal for one's life is to attempt to minimize pain, and pursue balance and contentment rather than a false ideal of permanent bliss.

Burnout became a serious area of study in the 1970s

Psychology professor Christina Maslach developed the first tool to assess the presence of burnout, focusing on six contributing factors within workplaces: an overwhelming workload, a lack of control over one’s work, insufficient reward for one’s efforts, interpersonal conflict, a sense of unfairness, and a mismatch between individual and organizational values.

Health problems are being misdiagnosed as perimenopause symptoms

Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause (the premenopause period) can be varied enough that clinicians dismiss them in patients in their mid-30s and onward as just a symptom of hormone level change. In this story, a woman's itching was dismissed as a hormonal change, but after two years and 11 separate doctor consultations, was diagnosed as cancer. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Roughly 45% of clinicians in 2023 reported at least one symptom of burnout

With that kind of statistic as a backdrop, proponents of concierge medicine practices argue that concierge services could help keep doctors in medicine and thus help to address physician shortages.

Teen depression levels jumped during the pandemic

US government data published in 2025 but gathered from August 2021 through August 2023 indicated that depression prevalence among teens aged 12 to 19 was at 19.2%. It was even higher among females of that age group—26.5%

These areas of the brain are hard-hit in depression—but the changes are reversible

Depressed brains can have certain characteristic changes, including an overactive amygdala, reduced hippocampus size, and changes to the thalamus and neuromodulating chemicals in the brain.

Recognizing the 12 steps of workplace burnout

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North created a 12-stage model to explain the path to burnout. It begins with employees feeling the drive to prove themselves in the workplace, leading to overwork and neglecting of one's needs, and ends with depersonalization and depression.