Depression affects more than 400 million people across the world at any given time. While there are many antidepressants available, these medications often do not work for everyone.
This leaves millions struggling with their symptoms and searching for better treatment options.
Over the past 20 years, scientists have noticed something interesting: some people with depression also have a type of low-level, chronic inflammation in their bodies.
Inflammation is part of the immune system’s response to harm or infection, but when it sticks around for too long, it can cause problems. Some researchers began to wonder if this ongoing inflammation might be part of the reason why certain people become depressed.
This led to studies where people with depression were given anti-inflammatory medications—drugs usually used to treat things like arthritis or infections—to see if they would help improve mood.
However, the results of these studies were mixed. In some cases, the drugs seemed to work. In others, they did not. This made it hard to know if using anti-inflammatory drugs was truly helpful for depression.
Now, a new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham offers some important answers. The study, led by Dr. Naoise Mac Giollabhui and senior author Dr. Richard Liu, asked a more specific question: what if anti-inflammatory drugs are only useful for a certain type of depression—one that actually involves inflammation?
To find out, the researchers reviewed and analyzed results from 11 different clinical trials. In total, these studies included 321 people who had both depression and signs of inflammation in their bodies. All of them were given anti-inflammatory medications.
The findings were promising. The researchers found that people with depression and high levels of inflammation showed real improvement after taking anti-inflammatory medications. Their symptoms were less severe, and they experienced less anhedonia—a common symptom of depression that makes it hard to feel joy or pleasure.
This is exciting because it suggests that there may be a special kind of depression caused by problems with the immune system. For this group, anti-inflammatory medications might work better than traditional antidepressants. It also shows how important it is to treat depression as a condition that may have different causes for different people.
However, this is just the beginning. More work is needed to find ways to identify who has this inflammation-related type of depression. Scientists are now focused on discovering better immune system “biomarkers”—signals in the body that show when inflammation is present and could be driving mental health symptoms.
There are also concerns about side effects. Some of the strongest anti-inflammatory drugs can cause serious problems if used long-term. So researchers will also need to find or develop safer treatments that target only the parts of the immune system that are causing trouble.
In summary, this study offers new hope. It shows that for some people with depression, especially those with signs of inflammation, there may be better treatment options on the horizon. It also encourages doctors and researchers to think more deeply about what is really happening inside the body and brain of each person with depression.
This study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and could help shape future treatments that are more personalized, more effective, and more hopeful for people living with depression.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage gout with a low-purine diet, and a guide to eating right for arthritis.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the link between processed foods and chronic diseases, and avoid these 8 foods to ease arthritis pain.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
