Don't Let SAD Get the Better of You

SUNDAY, Oct. 13, 2019 -- If you suffer from the winter blues, there are things you can do to make the season less depressing.

Clinically known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), it happens when there is less sunlight during the day, according to Jeannie Larson, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing.

How to Wait Out a Blue Mood

TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2019 -- Feel bad about feeling bad? Don't.

Studies done at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that acknowledging a blue mood -- and not berating yourself for it -- can help you work through it more easily.

Could Eating Healthier Be a Natural Antidepressant?

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2019 -- Kids have long heard the refrain: Eat your vegetables to grow up big and strong. But a healthy diet may make you happier, too, according to Australian researchers.

That was the effect eating healthier had in a small study of young adults with poor diets and moderate-to-high symptoms of depression. Those who embraced healthier food choices reported less anxiety and much better moods within weeks, according to findings published Oct. 9 in the journal PLOS ONE.

Experimental Drug Works Quickly on Major Depression

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 4, 2019 -- Antidepressants typically take four to eight weeks to ease the debilitating symptoms of depression, but an early clinical trial found a new type of drug brought relief in just two weeks.

"SAGE-217, once fully developed, has potential to offer relatively quick and clinically meaningful alleviation of depressive symptoms in patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder," said study author Dr. Handan Gunduz-Bruce, from Sage Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass.

What Treatments Work Best to Prevent Suicide?

TUESDAY, Aug. 27, 2019 -- If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, a new review points to effective treatments that can reduce suicide risk.

Some involve therapy -- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) -- while others involve medication, such as ketamine (by infusion) or lithium.

For Heart Patients, CPAP Treatment May Ease Depression: Study

FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2019 -- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of obstructive sleep apnea can ease depression in people with heart disease, according to a groundbreaking new study.

"Patients who have had a stroke or heart attack are prone to suffer from low mood and are two to three times more likely to develop clinical depression, which then further elevates their risk of future heart attacks and strokes," said senior author Doug McEvoy, a sleep researcher at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.