Mental Health

Taking placebos fully aware that they contain no active ingredients can still significantly reduce stress, anxiety and depression according to a new study. It’s suggested that these 'non-deceptive placebos' might be an effective way of improving mental health.

Exercise’s positive effect on depression is well-known, but not how it produces its anti-depressant effects. After reviewing a broad range of studies into how depression and physical activity affect motivation, researchers have now come up with a hypothesis.

Finding support and information from medical professionals lacking, people wanting to come off their antidepressant medication are turning to online groups instead, according to new research. The study highlights an ongoing problem that needs addressing.

MoodCapture will use your smartphone camera as you unlock the screen to assess facial expressions and backgrounds for depression severity. While the app is still in development, the team says it represents a breakthrough in personal diagnostic medicine.

Months of trial and error, as well as adverse side effects, to find the right antidepressant may soon be a thing of the past for those with depression, with a novel artificial intelligence model able to determine a drug's efficacy within just one week.

People suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) are also more likely to have higher body temperatures, finds the largest study of its kind – and surprisingly, one suggested treatment is to heat the body up even more, with saunas and hot yoga.

Researchers have identified the neurons responsible for controlling how growth hormone affects anxiety and the creation of fear memories, a hallmark of post-traumatic stress disorder. The discovery could lead to a new class of anti-anxiety drugs.

In a finding that could have a significant impact on personalized medicine, scientists have identified five blood compounds linked to suicidal ideation. It could prove crucial in assessing risk factors and for new targeted treatment of depression.

A groundbreaking study has mapped dopamine, deep inside the brain, in real time. Surprising researchers, the "pleasure neurotransmitter" is more complex than earlier thought, shaping our brain to make better decisions based on prior experience.

Researchers have identified how Lactobacillus, a member of our guts’ microbiome community, affects a critical immune system protein, influencing stress levels and mental health. The findings could lead to new treatments for depression and anxiety.

Two recent studies may have discovered how electroconvulsive therapy is so effective at alleviating some mental illnesses, especially severe depression, something that has puzzled psychiatrists and neuroscientists for decades.

We know chronic poor sleep is bad for your health but for decades scientists have reported a strange phenomenon where acute sleep deprivation actually leads to elevated mood so a team of researchers set out to investigate this odd physiological sensation.

Scientists have found the molecular mechanism that causes a losing zebrafish to wave the white flag. While fighting fish in general may not spark a lot of interest, their shared neurobiology with humans means this could be a very significant discovery.

Using a new kind of neuroimaging tool, researchers have uncovered evidence to help explain how antidepressant medications work, and why they take so many weeks to kick in.

A study has found that nighttime exposure to light increases the risk of mental illness, while daytime light exposure reduces it. The findings offer a simple and effective, non-pharmacological means of improving mental health.