According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 8% of adult women in the U.S. will have a depressive episode this year. You probably know someone who's dealt with it (or maybe that person is you). But there's still so much we don't know about the disorder. For instance, depression shows up differently in various people, and researchers are working on learning why that might happen. Some people may feel physical symptoms, like chronic pain. Others may only feel moderately depressed, but for longer periods of time (dysthymia). Sometimes depression is treated after a few months and never comes back. Yet other times, people have recurring episodes of major depression, or episodes that aren't helped by even our most advanced treatments.
However, we've never known more about depression than we do now — and researchers are continuing to find out more every day. Ahead, we're combing the latest research to help demystify all of the facets of this complicated condition.
People With Depression Are More Likely To Have Migraines
Both migraines and depression are more common in women than men. But migraines and depression share a lot more than that. As Mia Minen, MD, of NYU Langone Medical Center explained in her recent paper, migraines and mental disorders generally occur together.
"We’ve seen that patients with migraines have somewhat different responses in emotional centers of the brain," Dr. Minen told R29. Some medications, like SNRIs, that were initially developed to treat depression, may also help in migraines.
But that doesn't mean depression causes migraines (or vice versa). Instead, Dr. Minen suggests the two conditions may both stem from the same underlying cause — one that we're still figuring out.
Depression May Be Related To Inflammation
Although researchers have known for some time that our immune systems and mental health are closely tied, a study published earlier this month shows more about how the two may influence each other.
The researchers found that participants with higher levels of inflammation also had higher levels of glutamate (a neurotransmitter) in some areas of their brains. Your brain cells need glutamate to send messages to each other, but with too much, it becomes harder for them to function normally.
The study doesn't prove conclusively that the inflammation caused an increase in glutamate. But it does suggest that inflammation may make depression worse for someone who already has it, thanks to those higher glutamate levels.
Pinterest Offers Community, Not Support
You may think of Pinterest as a place for planning weddings and finding easy recipes. But, as a recent study revealed, there's a lot more going on there under the surface. Not only are Pinterest users sharing (often inaccurate) health information, they're also using the site as a place to talk openly about how their depression makes them feel.
But of the nearly-800 pins, the researchers found that in discussions about depression, suicidal thoughts, or self-harm, the majority made no mention of any coping mechanism. Of those that did mention a way to cope — most proposed unhealthy strategies, like pretending everything is okay rather than seeking help.
While it's great that people are able to talk honestly about their depression, it's not so great that they aren't getting much-needed help in actually dealing with it.
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