Sugary Drinks Linked to Depression Through Gut Microbiome

Summary: A new study shows that sugary drinks don’t just affect physical health—they may also raise the risk of depression in women by disrupting the gut microbiome. Researchers found that…

AI Spots Subtle Facial Cues Linked to Early Depression Risk

Summary: Depression’s earliest signs can be hard to spot, but a new study shows AI can detect them in subtle facial movements. Japanese students with subthreshold depression were perceived as…

2 shootings, 2 states, minutes apart − a trauma psychiatrist explains how exposure to shootings changes all of us

On Sept. 10, 2025, the nation’s attention was riveted by the fatal shooting of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. At nearly the exact same…

Simple Hair Test May Spot Mental Health Risks in Kids

Summary: Long-term stress, measured through hair cortisol, may help predict mental health risks in children living with chronic physical illnesses. In a four-year study of 244 children, researchers found that…

Your Words May Reveal More Than You Think: AI Shows How

Summary: Psychologists are turning to artificial intelligence to uncover hidden psychological cues in speech, from word choice to tone and pacing. These signals can reveal personality traits and even early…

Astrocyte Disruption Tied to Depression After Childhood Stress

Summary: Researchers have shown that astrocytes in the lateral hypothalamus play a pivotal role in how stress shapes behavior, particularly after early-life adversity. In mice, stress led to smaller, less…

Chronic Stress Sends Immune Cells to Brain, Driving Depression

Summary: A new study shows that chronic stress causes immune cells called neutrophils to leave bone marrow in the skull and collect in the brain’s protective membranes, where they contribute…

Adding more green space to a campus is a simple, cheap and healthy way to help millions of stressed and depressed college students

Stress on college students can be palpable, and it hits them from every direction: academic challenges, social pressures and financial burdens, all intermingled with their first taste of independence. It’s…

Depression Disrupts Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Events

Summary: Depression specifically impairs the ability to learn how to actively avoid unpleasant events, though it does not affect avoidance behavior once learned. Researchers tested 465 participants across a range…

Extreme Heat Makes People More Negative

Summary: A large-scale global study shows that extreme heat affects not just our bodies, but also our emotions. Researchers analyzed over a billion social media posts and found that when…