Depression
More than an occasional bout of melancholy or grief, depressive disorder is marked by sustained feelings of sadness or hopelessness that last for two weeks or longer, often accompanied by a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. Depression can lead to other emotional or physical problems, and can be disabling, reducing a person’s ability to function at home and at work. The unique stressors of military life may contribute to relatively higher rates of depression, which is consistently one of the most common mental health conditions treated in the VA system.
VA health systems researchers explore these stressors and risk factors, and how they affect Veterans’ physical health and overall well-being. Other areas of focus include improving methods for screening and diagnosis, examining barriers to mental health care, and evaluating treatments and interventions, including collaborative care models and complementary and integrative health approaches to improving depressive symptoms.
Each section below is populated by a search of the HSR website. Search results are generated based on the search term "Depression" . Results are updated as new data are available.
VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources
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Citations
(recent DEPRESSION publications)
- Pham NV, Singh R, Leng M, Han SB, May FP, Singh J, Benhammou JN. Mental health diseases are associated with active hepatitis C and partly drive HCC trends in Veterans. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. 2025 Nov 29 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2025.11.026.
- Villasis NA, Santos JJ, Ettner SL, Xu H, Escarce JJ, Leung LB. Long COVID Disproportionately Reported by Disadvantaged Individuals: A National Survey of U.S. Working-Age Adults. Journal of general internal medicine. 2025 Nov 14 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-025-09912-w.
- Badr AN, Zeineddine S, Salloum A, Pandya N, Mitchell MN, Sankari A, Muñoz ID, Badr MS, Martin JL, Kelly MR. Sleep and daytime function in people with spinal cord injury. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 2025 Nov 1; 21(11):1903-1909, DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.11804.
- Panelli DM, Esmaeili A, Joyce VR, Chan CS, Gujral K, Schmitt SK, Murphy NF, Kimerling R, Lockett M, Leonard SA, Main EK, Shaw JG, Phibbs CS. Association Between Mental Illness and Risk of Severe Maternal Morbidity in Pregnant Veterans. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2025 Oct 30 DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000006107.
- Williams AL, Gray KE, Gunnink E, Mooney SJ, Saelens BE, Nelson KM, Simpson TL, Hoerster KD. Relationship between neighborhood walkability, perceived neighborhood features, and depression among treatment-seeking veterans. Acta psychologica. 2025 Oct 27; 261:105786, DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105786.
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Publication Briefs
(recent DEPRESSION Publication Briefs )
- Telehealth Mindfulness-Based Interventions Improve Pain-Related Function and Biopsychosocial Outcomes Among Veterans with Chronic Pain
This randomized clinical trial aimed to test the effectiveness of two scalable, 8-week telehealth mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) – group and self-paced – compared to usual care. Findings showed that both the group and self-paced MBI significantly improved pain-related function and biopsychosocial outcomes compared to usual care. Group and self-paced MBIs performed similarly. Averaged acros...
Date: August 19, 2024
- COVID-19 Infection Associated with More Depression Symptoms among Veterans at 18 months Post-Infection
This study robustly matched COVID-19 infected patients with contemporaneous, uninfected controls to assess the effects of COVID-19 on depression symptoms. Findings showed that COVID-19 infection was associated with more depression symptoms among Veterans at 18 months post-infection, with a significantly higher prevalence of positive depression screening among Veterans with COVID compared to those ...
Date: April 16, 2024
- Women Veterans More Likely to Have Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions and Higher Pain Interference and Intensity
This study examined gender differences in chronic pain and its contributors. Findings showed that, compared to men, women Veterans were more likely to have chronic overlapping pain conditions and had higher levels of pain interference and intensity. Women had higher prevalence of psychiatric and sleep disorder diagnoses, greater levels of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, fatigu...
Date: February 12, 2024
- More Than Half of Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders Have Greater Perceived Social Isolation Than the General Population
This study examined perceived social isolation (PSI) among Veterans living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), and identified which demographics, injury characteristics, health factors, and objective social isolation measures were significantly associated with high PSI. Findings showed that over half (56%) of the survey respondents had PSI scores higher than the general population. Ha...
Date: February 5, 2024
- Traumatic Brain Injury May Be a Potentially Novel Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease in Veterans
This study sought to determine the association between TBI and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in post-9/11 era Veterans. Findings showed that post-9/11 Veterans with mild TBI, moderate to severe TBI, and penetrating TBI were more likely to develop CVD compared to Veterans without TBI. Although the risk was highest shortly after injury, TBI remained significantly associated with CVD for ye...
Date: September 6, 2022
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Studies
(recent DEPRESSION projects
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| Project No. |
Title |
PI |
Funding End |
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CDA 23-054
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Recovery-oriented group therapy for Veteran men with military sexual trauma |
Yahalom, Jonathan |
2029-12-31 |
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SDR 23-115
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A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study of the Pride in All Who Served Program |
Hilgeman, Michelle |
2029-06-30 |
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CDA 21-158
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Reducing Burnout among VA PCPs Using Evidence-Based Quality Improvement |
Apaydin, Eric |
2028-09-30 |
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IIR 22-199
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Equity-Focused Implementation of LGBTQ-Affirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Trial |
Wilson, Sarah |
2028-07-31 |
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CDA 22-008
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Maximizing the Value of VA Homemaker/Home Health Aide (H/HHA) Services to Veterans, Caregivers and VA: Supporting Older Veterans'' Pathways to Stable H/HHA Care |
Franzosa, Emily |
2028-06-30 |
» View more Studies
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HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters
» View more Publications
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Other Resources
- Visit the VA Office of Research and Development’s depression topic page to see selected highlights and publications about depression research.
- Visit the VA Office of Mental Health’s depression section to learn more about what resources are available for Veterans.
- Visit the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health to find mental health research resources.
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