Major Depressive Disorder

Disease State Hub

Research Summaries

major depression

FDA Approves 3-Minute, Noninvasive Treatment for Depression

08/23/2018

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a shortened version of existing brain stimulation protocol for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.

08/23/2018

major depression

MDD Is Highly Prevalent, Disabling in US Adults

04/16/2018

Researchers surveyed 36,309 US adults to determine the prevalence of DSM-5 major depressive disorder and related specifiers in the United States.

04/16/2018

major depression

Depression Recurrence Limited With Cognitive Therapy

04/05/2018

Individuals who are in remission or recovery from major depressive disorder are commonly kept on antidepressants to prevent relapse. Now, the authors of a recent study are proposing preventive cognitive...

04/05/2018

major depression

PPIs May Raise Depression Risk

03/09/2018

The risk of developing major depressive disorder was recently compared among individuals who used various types of proton pump inhibitors.

03/09/2018

Research Summary

Research Summary

Diagnostic Accuracy of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 for Depression and Anxiety Screening in General Practice

03/03/2015

Ashton L. Stahl

A diagnostic accuracy study evaluating PHQ-9 and GAD-7 in a general practice setting found high sensitivity and negative predictive values, supporting their role in routine primary care mental health...

03/03/2015

Major Depressive Disorder Snapshot

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For a period of at least 2 weeks, an individual maintains a depressed mood, which may involve feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts.

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clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, emergency medicine, social workers

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One must have at least 5 symptoms from this list: depressed mood, inability to experience pleasure, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts

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(continued) From that list, one of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or inability to experience pleasure in order to be diagnosed with MDD.

Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559078/

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The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): Used to quantify severity and assist in diagnosis of depression symptoms. PHQ-9 scores each of the DSM criteria of MDD as “0” (not at all) to “3” (nearly every day), providing a 0-27 severity score.

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Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D): clinician-administered depression rating scale commonly used to measure depression in adults. Of the 21 items on the scale, only the first 17 are used for scoring.

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(continued) Other tests include: Beck Depression Inventory, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale

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In 2021, an estimated 21 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode, representing an estimated 8.3% of all U.S. adults.

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The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all adults—including those pregnant and postpartum—be screened for depression.

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The percentage of female high school students who experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021 was 57%, a record level and double the rate of males.

Research Summaries

Research Summary

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Research Summary

Danish Primary Care Trials Find Collaborative Care Improves Long-Term Depression Outcomes Versus Consultation Liaison

07/17/2026

Kate Young

In two pragmatic randomized trials conducted in the Capital Region of Denmark, investigators compared collaborative care with consultation liaison in general practice to assess whether greater involvement...

07/17/2026

Video

Video

Practical Updates in Primary Care Recap—Road to Recovery in Major Depressive Disorder: From Partial Response to Remission and Beyond

05/13/2026

Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, RD

Many patients with major depressive disorder remain “stuck” in partial response despite treatment. In this Practical Updates in Primary Care recap, Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, outlines strategies to identify...

05/13/2026

Research Summary

Research Summary

Collaborative Care for Depression in Primary Care: Meta-Analysis Identifies Most Effective Treatment Components

05/08/2026

Anthony Calabro, MA

An individual participant data meta-analysis clarifies which elements of collaborative care most effectively reduce depressive symptoms in primary care, informing implementation strategies for clinicians...

05/08/2026

Research Summary

Research Summary

Measurement-Based Care Speeds Depression Response, Remission in Randomized Trial

05/06/2026

Kate Young

A randomized clinical trial in Pakistan evaluated whether structured, measurement-based care could accelerate antidepressant response and remission in adults with major depressive disorder compared with...

05/06/2026

FDA Approval

FDA Approval

Lumateperone (Caplyta) Gains FDA Approval for Relapse Prevention in Schizophrenia

04/30/2026

Anthony Calabro, MA

The FDA has approved a supplemental indication for lumateperone to reduce relapse risk in adults with schizophrenia based on phase 3 randomized withdrawal data.

04/30/2026

July 2026

Current Issue

July 2026

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559078/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13.
https://www.med.upenn.edu/cbti/assets/user-content/documents/Hamilton%20Rating%20Scale%20for%20Depression%20(HAM-D).pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth behavior risk survey: data summary and trends report. Accessed March 31, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/yrbs_data_summary_and_trends.htm