Recent Studies of the Biology and Treatment of Depression

Major depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, with lifetime prevalence rates of over 15%. Recent research provides new insights on which brain regions are affected in the disorder, underlying biological mechanisms, and possible novel treatments. This review discusses a number of recent research advances in epidemiology, genetics, imaging, treatment, and pharmacogenetics. It also outlines issues or questions that still need to be addressed, and it begins to outline a framework for understanding why and how depression may occur.