Messages about Depression

In this closing message to the 75th-Anniversary series, Acting NIMH Director Shelli Avenevoli reflects on a year of celebration and the future of mental health research.

Translational research bridges the gap between basic science and impactful mental health solutions. In this guest-written Director’s Message, the NIMH Division of Translational Research discusses past successes, current projects, and future directions of this critical area of work.

In honor of American Heart Month (and Valentine’s Day), Dr. Gordon discusses NIMH’s research activity at the intersection of the heart and the brain.

In this Director’s message, Dr. Gordon discusses what we have learned about suicide risk and prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic and how NIMH has been building upon these findings to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.

Each person responds to stress in different ways. In this Director’s message, Dr. Gordon talks about managing fear, anxiety, and stress related to the coronavirus pandemic.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In observance, Dr. Gordon has partnered with Dr. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), to highlight a dimension of the opioid crisis that receives too little attention—the links between opioid use, opioid use disorder, and suicide.

In his latest message, Dr. Gordon discusses the role of NIMH and other researchers in the development of esketamine, an FDA-approved, rapid-acting medication that targets treatment-resistant depression.

In this Director’s Message, Dr. Gordon discusses research-based advances in the understanding and treatment of depression.

In this message, Dr. Gordon discusses the role of NIMH and others in the bench-to-bedside story of brexanolone, which has just been approved by the FDA as the first treatment specifically for postpartum depression.

The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) focuses on research which translates basic neuroscience findings into novel treatments. In this Director’s Message, Dr. Gordon discusses some of the exciting work presented at this year’s ACNP meeting.

Research tells us that severe stress can cause all kinds of adverse health outcomes, including an increased risk for mental illnesses. Dr. Gordon discusses how NIMH is trying to move the field of stress research forward, toward the translation of basic findings into clinical advances.