Classical music may do more than sound beautiful—it could heal the mind.
One study reveals that depression doubles the size of an important brain network—find out why that’s not a good thing.
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The effect of depression goes deep —right into the physical structure of the brain.
Research has uncovered a wide array of startling ways depression can fundamentally reshape the brain’s wiring, chemistry and even its aging process.
From shrinking gray matter to disrupting critical networks that govern everything from decision-making to the sense of smell, the impact is profound.
This article explores 11 cutting-edge studies that reveal how depression goes beyond just feelings of sadness—it alters the brain in ways scientists are only beginning to fully understand.
Those that adhered to this diet had a 33 percent reduced chance of developing depression.
Those that adhered to this diet had a 33 percent reduced chance of developing depression.
A diet rich in vegetables, nuts, fruits and fish could lower depression risk by up to a third, research suggests.The results come from studies on tens of thousands of people around the world.The so-called ‘Mediterranean diet’ is also linked to reduced inflammation in the body.Anti-inflammatory foods include olive oil, legumes, and many other foods rich in plant fibre, vitamins and minerals.Foods that increase inflammation in the body, such as sugar and saturated fats, were linked to higher depression risk.Dr Camille Lassale, the study’s lead author, said:“There is compelling evidence to show that there is a relationship between the quality of your diet and your mental health.This relationship goes beyond the effect of diet on your body size or other aspects of health that can in turn affect your mood.”The results come from an analysis of 41 different studies.Of these, four examined the link between depression and diet in 36,556 people.The results showed that those that adhered to the Mediterranean diet more closely had a 33% reduced chance of developing depression than those who shunned it.Five of the studies showed that eating foods high in saturated fat, sugar and processed foods was linked to a higher risk of depression.Dr Lassale said:
“A pro-inflammatory diet can induce systemic inflammation, and this can directly increase the risk for depression.There is also emerging evidence that shows that the relationship between the gut and brain plays a key role in mental health and that this axis is modulated by gastrointestinal bacteria, which can be modified by our diet.”Dr Tasnime Akbaraly, study co-author, said:
The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry (Lassale et al., 2018).“By showing that an adherence to healthy dietary patterns is associated with a reduced risk of depressive disorders, we contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding the importance of our daily diets to our mental and brain health.
Added to recent randomised trials showing beneficial effects of dietary improvement on depression outcomes, there are now strong arguments in favour of regarding diet as mainstream in psychiatric medicine.”
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One way that depression could be ‘good’ for you comes from a radical positive view of depression.
One way that depression could be ‘good’ for you comes from a radical positive view of depression.
People who are depressed find it easier to let go of goals that are hurting them, research finds.
Depression could be a useful mechanism to stop people doing things that are making them unhappy.
For example, depression could stop people from:
Unobtainable goals could spark bouts of depression, which then encourage the person to give up.
This unusual view of depression as a ‘useful’ state comes from a paper published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.
For the study, some people who were depressed and some who were not were asked to solve some anagrams.
The trick was that some of the anagrams could not be solved.
Ms Katharina Koppe, the study’s first author, explained:
“These unsolvable tasks represented unattainable goals, which it was necessary to give up as soon as possible in order to use the time effectively.”
The results showed that people who were depressed spent less time on the unsolvable anagrams than the control group.
However, depressed people spent the same amount of time on the anagrams that could be solved — showing they still pushed on with tasks that could be completed.
Professor Klaus Rothermund, who co-authored the study, said:
“The general lack of motivation that is typical of many patients with depression apparently gives rise to a greater ability to abandon goals, and one could use this in therapy.”
Giving up on an impossible task is clearly beneficial — as long as the unattainable goal is replaced with something meaningful that can be achieved.
Ms Koppe said:
“If we stop seeing depression simply as a psychological burden, which just needs to be removed through therapy, we might also be able to use the patient’s crisis as an opportunity for personal development.”
The study was published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry (Koppe et al., 2016).
The more mental health problems people had early on, the greater their memory problems in later life.
The more mental health problems people had early on, the greater their memory problems in later life.
Episodes of depression early in life are linked to memory loss later on, research finds.
People who experience depression and anxiety in their 20s, 30s and 40s tend to develop memory problems in their 50s.
It suggests depression might lead to dementia in later life.
Tackling depression and anxiety in young adulthood may help to reduce memory problems as well as the risk of dementia.
Approaches such as meditation, exercise and maintaining strong relationships can all help.
Dr. Darya Gaysina, study co-author, said:
“We found that the more episodes of depression people experience in their adulthood, the higher risk of cognitive impairment they have later in life.
This finding highlights the importance of effective management of depression to prevent the development of recurrent mental health problems with long-term negative outcomes.”
The conclusions come from a study that followed over 18,000 babies born in 1958, who have been followed into adulthood.
The results showed that the more mental health problems people had early on, the greater their memory problems in later life.
A single episode of depression or anxiety had little effect later on.
However, two or three episodes in their 20s, 30s or 40s were linked to worse memory function in their 50s.
Ms Amber John, the study’s first author, said:
“We knew from previous research that depressive symptoms experienced in mid adulthood to late adulthood can predict a decline in brain function in later life but we were surprised to see just how clearly persistent depressive symptoms across three decades of adulthood are an important predictor of poorer memory function in mid-life.
…this research should be a wake up call to do what you can to protect your mental health, such as maintaining strong relationships with friends and family, taking up physical exercise or practicing mindfulness meditation—all of which have been shown to boost mental health.”
The study was published in the The British Journal of Psychiatry (John et al., 2019).
Getting seven or eight hours is not enough, study finds.
Getting seven or eight hours is not enough, study finds.
Sleeping irregular hours increases the risk of depression, even if the total amount of sleep is sufficient, research finds.
People who sleep and wake at different times are just as likely to suffer depression as those who do not get enough sleep overall.
The findings highlight how important it is to maintain regular hours of sleep — on top of getting enough total sleep.
Irregular sleep schedules may cause mental health problems by disrupting circadian rhythms, the researchers suggest.
Circadian rhythms are the natural sleep-wake cycles of the body.
Sleep may be more restorative when it coincides with melatonin production and lower core body temperature, which are two circadian rhythms which help the body prepare for sleep.
For the study, researchers tracked over 2,100 young doctors as they battled through their first year of training after completing medical school.
Trainee doctors are well-known to experience highly irregular work schedules, along with reduced time for sleep.
Psychologists gathered information about their sleep and wake patterns through wearable devices.
Ms Yu Fang, the study’s first author, said:
“The advanced wearable technology allows us to study the behavioral and physiological factors of mental health, including sleep, at a much larger scale and more accurately than before, opening up an exciting field for us to explore.
Our findings aim not only to guide self-management on sleep habits but also to inform institutional scheduling structures.”
The results showed that trainee doctors with the most variable sleep schedules scored the highest on depression tests — they also had the worst moment-to-moment mood.
Professor Srijan Sen, study co-author, said:
“These findings highlight sleep consistency as an underappreciated factor to target in depression and wellness.
The work also underscores the potential of wearable devices in understanding important constructs relevant to health that we previously could not study at scale.”
Parents of young children will be well aware of the damaging effects of irregular sleep schedules on mental health.
Ms Fang joked:
“I also wish my 1-year-old could learn about these findings and only wake me up at 8:21 a.m. every day.”
The study was published in the journal npj Digital Medicine (Fang et al., 2021).
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