[Positive aging-How does it work? : Contribution of resilience to the prevention of depressive disorders in old age]. / Positives Altern ­ Wie geht das? : Beitrag von Resilienz zur Prävention depressiver Erkrankungen im Alter.

BACKGROUND: Although the prevalence of depressive disorders in old age is high, many older people succeed in staying healthy despite age-related stressors. The individual resilience or mental power of resistance can explain these differences. OBJECTIVE: It is shown how resilience factors or strategies of healthy aging can be used for the primary prevention of depressive disorders in old age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The article summarizes the practically relevant age-specific aspects of resilience obtained through a narrative literature search and evaluates the relevant state of knowledge, also with respect to the consecutive development of primary preventive measures to avoid depressive disorders. RESULTS: Individual psychological strategies for promoting resilience include "stay active", and "mindfulness towards positive things", social strategies "remain socially connected" and "acceptance of support options". In addition to this individual level, which aims at every single person, the social dimension of resilience also includes strategies that start at the social level. Above all, this includes the esteem of older people in society as well as improved opportunities for participation. CONCLUSION: Age-specific aspects of resilience can be specifically used for the prevention of depressive disorders in old age. They enable a framework to establish resource-promoting and activating interventions, to counteract the deficit perspective on ageing. At the same time, there are clear limits to individual prevention and resilience. The responsibility cannot be seen solely for each individual but above all social structures and framework conditions must enable successful implementation in old age.

[Suicide prevention in old age : Importance of depressive disorders and implications for the discussion on assisted suicide]. / Suizidprävention im Alter : Bedeutung depressiver Störungen und Implikationen für die Diskussion um den assistierten Suizid.

This article gives an overview of possibilities for suicide prevention in old age, with an emphasis on depression. A broad range of approaches are available, which are described differentiated into universal, selective and indicated strategies. In Germany the working group "Old people" of the National Suicide Prevention Program (NaSPro) has worked out these strategies in a differentiated way and with respect to the international discussions. The influence of the debate on assisted suicide and the influence of cognitive changes on suicidal ideation in old age are discussed. A further large need for concrete measures and also the presence of large gaps in the care structures are determined.

Efficacy of an Internet- and Mobile-Based Intervention for Subclinical Anxiety and Depression (ICare Prevent) with Two Guidance Formats: Results from a Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Limited research exists on intervention efficacy for comorbid subclinical anxiety and depressive disorders, despite their common co-occurrence. Internet- and mobile-based interventions (IMIs) are promising to reach individuals facing subclinical symptoms. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a transdiagnostic and self-tailored IMI in reducing subclinical anxiety and depressive symptom severity with either individualized (IG-IMI) or automated (AG-IMI) guidance compared to a waitlist control group with care-as-usual access (WLC). METHODS: Participants included 566 adults with subclinical anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 5) and/or depressive (CES-D ≥16) symptoms, who did not meet criteria for a full-syndrome depressive or anxiety disorder. In a three-arm randomized clinical trial, participants were randomized to a cognitive behavioral 7-session IMI plus booster session with IG-IMI (n = 186) or AG-IMI (n = 189) or WLC (n = 191). Primary outcomes included observer-rated anxiety (HAM-A) and depressive (QIDS) symptom severity 8 weeks after randomization assessed by blinded raters via telephone. Follow-up outcomes at 6 and 12 months are reported. RESULTS: Symptom severity was significantly lower with small to medium effects in IG-IMI (anxiety: d = 0.45, depression: d = 0.43) and AG-IMI (anxiety: d = 0.31, depression: d = 0.32) compared to WLC. No significant differences emerged between guidance formats in primary outcomes. There was a significant effect in HAM-A after 6 months favoring AG-IMI. On average, participants completed 85.38% of IG-IMI and 77.38% of AG-IMI. CONCLUSIONS: A transdiagnostic, self-tailored IMI can reduce subclinical anxiety and depressive symptom severity, but 12-month long-term effects were absent. Automated guidance holds promise for enhancing the scalability of IMIs in broad prevention initiatives.

Equitable reach: Patient and professional recommendations for interventions to prevent perinatal depression and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: Perinatal depression and anxiety are the most common complications in the perinatal period and disproportionately affect those experiencing economic marginalization. Fewer than 15% of individuals at risk for perinatal depression are referred for preventative counseling. The goal of this study was to elicit patient and perinatal care professionals' perspectives on how to increase the reach of interventions to prevent perinatal depression and anxiety among economically marginalized individuals. METHODS: We conducted qualitative interviews with perinatal individuals with lived experience of perinatal depression and/or anxiety who were experiencing economic marginalization (n = 12) and perinatal care professionals and paraprofessionals (e.g., obstetrician/gynecologists, midwives, doulas; n = 12) serving this population. Three study team members engaged a "a coding consensus, co-occurrence, and comparison," approach to code interviews. RESULTS: Perinatal individuals and professionals identified prevention intervention delivery approaches and content to facilitate equitable reach for individuals who are economically marginalized. Factors influential included availability of mental health counselors, facilitation of prevention interventions by a trusted professional, digital health options, and options for mental health intervention delivery approaches. Content that was perceived as increasing equitable intervention reach included emphasizing stigma reduction, using cultural humility and inclusive materials, and content personalization. CONCLUSIONS: Leveraging varied options for mental health intervention delivery approaches and content could reach perinatal individuals experiencing economic marginalization and address resource considerations associated with preventative interventions.

Effectiveness of interventions to prevent perinatal depression: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To date, dozens of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) summarize the effectiveness of preventive interventions for perinatal depression. However, the results are inconclusive, making an urgent need to step up to higher levels of evidence synthesis. AIMS: To summarize and compare the evidence from the SR&MA examining the effectiveness of all types of interventions for preventing perinatal depression. METHOD: PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and OpenGrey were searched from inception to December 2022. We selected SR&MA of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared all types of preventive interventions for perinatal depression with control groups whose outcome was the reduction of depressive symptoms and/or incidence of new cases of perinatal depression (PROSPERO: CRD42020173125). RESULTS: A total of 19 SRs and MAs evaluated 152 unique RCTs that included 83,408 women from 26 countries and five continents. The median effect size for any intervention was SMD = 0.29 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.38). Exercise/physical activity-based, psychological, and any type of intervention showed median effect sizes of 0.43, 0.28 and 0.36, respectively. The degree of overlap among RCTs was slight. According to AMSTAR-2, 79% of them were rated as low or critically low-quality. The strength of evidence, according to GRADE, was poorly reported and, in most cases, was low. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise/physical activity-based and psychological interventions have a small-to-medium effect on reducing perinatal depressive symptoms. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that dietary supplements and pharmacological interventions are effective in preventing perinatal depression. There is a need for high-quality SR&MA of RCTs, mainly focusing on universal preventive interventions.

Can the Mediterranean diet decrease the risk of depression in older persons - a systematic review. / Czy dieta sródziemnomorska moze zmniejszac ryzyko depresji u osób w starszym wieku ­ przeglad systematyczny pismiennictwa.

A significant proportion of the population aged 75 and over experiences an episode of major depression. Symptoms of depression manifested by elderly patients are sometimes treated as a natural element of the aging process, leaving elderly patients undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. It is postulated that the use of the Mediterranean diet may counteract the development of depression and alleviate depressive symptoms due to the anti-inflammatory properties of this diet. The aim of the systematic review was to assess whether the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet is related to the occurrence and severity of depressive symptoms in people over 65 years of age. We included 9 studies out of 317 identified manuscripts. The results of the studies included in the review indicate that adherence to the principles of the Mediterranean diet by elderly people may bring beneficial results in the prevention of depressive symptoms and justify further search for the relationship between this diet and its individual components with the mental well-being of old patients.

Daytime eating prevents mood vulnerability in night work.

Shift workers have a 25 to 40% higher risk of depression and anxiety partly due to a misalignment between the central circadian clock and daily environmental/behavioral cycles that may negatively affect mood and emotional well-being. Hence, evidence-based circadian interventions are required to prevent mood vulnerability in shift work settings. We used a stringently controlled 14-d circadian paradigm to assess mood vulnerability during simulated night work with either daytime and nighttime or daytime-only eating as compared with simulated day work (baseline). Simulated night work with daytime and nighttime eating increased depression-like mood levels by 26.2% (p-value adjusted using False Discovery Rates, pFDR = 0.001; effect-size r = 0.78) and anxiety-like mood levels by 16.1% (pFDR = 0.001; effect-size r = 0.47) compared to baseline, whereas this did not occur with simulated night work in the daytime-only eating group. Importantly, a larger degree of internal circadian misalignment was robustly associated with more depression-like (r = 0.77; P = 0.001) and anxiety-like (r = 0.67; P = 0.002) mood levels during simulated night work. These findings offer a proof-of-concept demonstration of an evidence-based meal timing intervention that may prevent mood vulnerability in shift work settings. Future studies are required to establish if changes in meal timing can prevent mood vulnerability in night workers.

Eczema is a shared risk factor for anxiety and depression: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Globally, anxiety and depression are the most common psychiatric disorders that add large burdens to individuals and society; however, the mechanisms underlying these disorders are unclear. Several studies have found that eczema is a shared risk factor for both these conditions. We identified and evaluated eligible observational studies from EMBASE and PubMed. In total, 20 relevant cohort and case-control studies comprising 141,910 patients with eczema and 4,736,222 control participants fulfilled our established criteria. Information extracted included study design, location, sample size, sex distribution of cases and controls or reference cohorts, measurements of outcomes, odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), and adjusted factors for exposure associated with outcome risk. The meta-analysis was performed by calculating the pooled OR with 95% CI, and heterogeneity was assessed using Cochrane Q and I2 statistics. The pooled effect showed a positive association (n = 4,896,099, OR = 1.63, 95% CI [1.42-1.88], p<0.001) between eczema and depression or anxiety, with positive associations also observed in the depression (n = 4,878,746, OR = 1.64, 95% CI [1.39-1.94], p<0.001) and anxiety (n = 4,607,597, OR = 1.68, 95% CI [1.27-2.21], p<0.001) groups. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses confirmed that these findings were stable and reliable. This study suggests that eczema is associated with an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety, which may assist clinicians in the prevention or treatment of these disorders.

Atorvastatin ameliorates depressive behaviors via regulation of α7nAChR expression by PI3K/Akt-BDNF pathway in mice.

Some of the statins have been shown to have antidepressant effects, but whether atorvastatin (AV) has antidepressant effects is unknown. This study was to investigate the effect of AV treatment on depressive behaviors. Herein, we show that AV treatment had antidepressant-like effect in physiological conditions and antidepressant effect in depressive state which depended on α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) expression in the ventral hippocampus (vHPC), but not α4ß2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α4ß2nAchR) expression in vHPC, nor the α7nAChR and α4ß2nAchR expression in dorsal hippocampus (dHPC). By using MLA, a selective α7nAChR antagonist, we investigated the role of α7nAChR in AV treatment. Behavior tests demonstrated that MLA abolished the antidepressant effect of AV. Besides, our data showed that AV treatment increased Akt phosphorylation, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), synaptic related protein synapsin and spinophilin expression. The phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 reversed AV-induced increase of BDNF expression, newborn neurons and antidepressant behavior effects. Our study suggests that AV plays an antidepressant role by regulating synaptic plasticity of vHPC through PI3K/Akt-BDNF signaling pathway, which may be a good choice for depression treatment.

Effect of Long-term Supplementation With Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids vs Placebo on Risk of Depression or Clinically Relevant Depressive Symptoms and on Change in Mood Scores: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Marine omega-3 fatty acid (omega-3) supplements have been used to treat depression but their ability to prevent depression in the general adult population is unknown. Objective: To test effects of omega-3 supplementation on late-life depression risk and mood scores. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 18 353 adults participated in the VITAL-DEP (Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial-Depression Endpoint Prevention) ancillary study to VITAL, a randomized trial of cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention among 25 871 US adults. There were 16 657 at risk of incident depression (no previous depression) and 1696 at risk of recurrent depression (previous depression, but not for the past 2 years). Randomization occurred from November 2011 through March 2014; randomized treatment ended on December 31, 2017. Interventions: Randomized 2 × 2 factorial assignment to vitamin D3 (2000 IU/d), marine omega-3 fatty acids (1 g/d of fish oil, including 465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo; 9171 were randomized to omega-3 and 9182 were randomized to matching placebo. Main Outcomes and Measures: Prespecified coprimary outcomes were risk of depression or clinically relevant depressive symptoms (total of incident + recurrent cases); mean difference in mood score (8-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-8] depression scale). Results: Among 18 353 participants who were randomized (mean age, 67.5 [SD, 7.1] years; 49.2% women), 90.3% completed the trial (93.5% among those alive at the end of the trial); the median treatment duration was 5.3 years. The test for interaction between the omega-3 and the vitamin D agents was not significant (P for interaction = .14). Depression risk was significantly higher comparing omega-3 (651 events, 13.9 per 1000 person-years) with placebo (583 events, 12.3 per 1000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.26; P = .03). No significant differences were observed comparing omega-3 with placebo groups in longitudinal mood scores: the mean difference in change in PHQ-8 score was 0.03 points (95% CI, -0.01 to 0.07; P = .19). Regarding serious and common adverse events, the respective prevalence values in omega-3 vs placebo groups were major cardiovascular events (2.7% vs 2.9%), all-cause mortality (3.3% vs 3.1%), suicide (0.02% vs 0.01%), gastrointestinal bleeding (2.6% vs 2.7%), easy bruising (24.8% vs 25.1%), and stomach upset or pain (35.2% vs 35.1%). Conclusions and Relevance: Among adults aged 50 years or older without clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline, treatment with omega-3 supplements compared with placebo yielded mixed results, with a small but statistically significant increase in risk of depression or clinically relevant depressive symptoms but no difference in mood scores, over a median follow-up of 5.3 years. These findings do not support the use of omega-3 supplements in adults to prevent depression. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT01696435 and NCT01169259.

Protocol of a systematic review and network meta-analysis for the prevention and treatment of perinatal depression.

INTRODUCTION: Perinatal depression is common and can often lead to adverse health outcomes for mother and child. Multiple pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments have been evaluated against usual care or placebo controls in meta-analyses for preventing and treating perinatal depression compared. It is not yet established which of these candidate treatments might be the optimal approach for prevention or treatment. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analyses will be conducted. Eight electronic databases shall be searched for randomised controlled trials that have evaluated the effectiveness of treatments for prevention and/or treatment of perinatal depression. Screening of articles shall be conducted by two reviewers independently. One network meta-analysis shall evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in preventing depression during the perinatal period. A second network meta-analysis shall compare the effectiveness of treatments for depression symptoms in women with perinatal depression. Bayesian 95% credible intervals shall be used to estimate the pooled mean effect size of each treatment, and surface under cumulative ranking area will be used to rank the treatments' effectiveness. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: We shall report our findings so that healthcare providers can make informed decisions on what might be the optimal approach for addressing perinatal depression to prevent cases and improve outcomes in those suffering from depression through knowledge exchange workshops, international conference presentations and journal article publications. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020200081.

Evaluation of Effect of Curcumin on Psychological State of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension by Magnetic Resonance Image under Deep Learning.

This research aimed to evaluate the right ventricular segmentation ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images based on deep learning and evaluate the influence of curcumin (Cur) on the psychological state of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The heart MRI images were detected based on the You Only Look Once (YOLO) algorithm, and then the MRI image right ventricle segmentation algorithm was established based on the convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm. The segmentation effect of the right ventricle in cardiac MRI images was evaluated regarding intersection-over-union (IOU), Dice coefficient, accuracy, and Jaccard coefficient. 30 cases of PH patients were taken as the research object. According to different treatments, they were rolled into control group (conventional treatment) and Cur group (conventional treatment + Cur), with 15 cases in each group. Changes in the scores of the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) of the two groups of patients before and after treatment were analyzed. It was found that the average IOU of the heart target detection frame of the MRI image and the true bounding box before correction was 0.7023, and the IOU after correction was 0.9016. The Loss of the MRI image processed by the CNN algorithm was 0.05, which was greatly smaller than those processed by other algorithms. The Dice coefficient, Jaccard coefficient, and accuracy of the MRI image processed by CNN were 0.89, 0.881, and 0.994, respectively. The MRI images of PH patients showed that the anterior wall of the right ventricle was notably thickened, and the main pulmonary artery was greatly widened. After treatment, the SAR and SDS scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the SAR and SDS scores of the curcumin group were lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). To sum up, the right ventricular segmentation ability of MRI images based on deep learning was improved, and Cur can remarkably alleviate the psychological state of PH patients, which provided a reference for the diagnosis and treatment for PH patients.

Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disturbances and depression in young people: implications for prevention and early intervention.

A rate-limiting step in the prevention and early intervention of depressive disorders in young people is our insufficient understanding of causal mechanisms. One plausible pathophysiological pathway is disturbance in the 24 h sleep-wake cycle and the underlying circadian system. Abnormalities in circadian rhythms are well documented in adults with various depressive disorders and have been linked to core clinical features, including unstable mood, daytime fatigue, non-restorative sleep, reduced motor activity, somatic symptoms, and appetite and weight change. In this Review, we summarise four areas of research: basic circadian biology and animal models of circadian disturbances; developmental changes in circadian rhythms during adolescence and implications for the emergence of adolescent-onset depressive syndromes; community and clinical studies linking 24 h sleep-wake cycle disturbances and depressive disorders; and clinical trials of circadian-based treatments. We present recommendations based on a highly personalised, early intervention model for circadian-linked depression in young people.

Manejo del trastorno depresivo ¿Qué tratamiento elegir? / Management of depressive disorder. What treatment to choose?

Resumen A lo largo de la historia, el ser humano ha buscado mejorar y tratar las diferentes patologías mentales. Con los avances en investigación, actualmente hay una amplia variedad de opciones terapéuticas que pueden resultar un factor de confusión a la hora de escoger el tratamiento más adecuado para combatir el trastorno depresivo. Por tanto, en el presente trabajo se realiza una revisión de las principales opciones de tratamiento para la depresión con el fin de brindar pautas que mejoren la toma de decisiones al abordar esta patología.

Abstract Throughout history, the human being has sought to improve and treat different mental pathologies, with advances in research, currently there is a wide variety of therapeutic options that can be a confounding factor when choosing the most appropriate treatment. This paper reviews the main treatment options for depression in order to provide guidelines that improve decision-making when addressing this pathology.

Continuation of Antidepressants vs Sequential Psychological Interventions to Prevent Relapse in Depression: An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis.

Importance: Depression frequently recurs. To prevent relapse, antidepressant medication is often taken in the long term. Sequentially delivering a psychological intervention while undergoing tapering of antidepressant medication might be an alternative to long-term antidepressant use. However, evidence is lacking on which patients may benefit from tapering antidepressant medication while receiving a psychological intervention and which should continue the antidepressant therapy. A meta-analysis of individual patient data with more power and precision than individual randomized clinical trials or a standard meta-analysis is warranted. Objectives: To compare the associations between use of a psychological intervention during and/or after antidepressant tapering vs antidepressant use alone on the risk of relapse of depression and estimate associations of individual clinical factors with relapse. Data Sources: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and PsycInfo were last searched on January 23, 2021. Requests for individual participant data from included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were sent. Study Selection: Randomized clinical trials that compared use of a psychological intervention while tapering antidepressant medication with antidepressant monotherapy were included. Patients had to be in full or partial remission from depression. Two independent assessors conducted screening and study selection. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Of 15 792 screened studies, 236 full-text articles were retrieved, and 4 RCTs that provided individual participant data were included. Main Outcomes and Measures: Time to relapse and relapse status over 15 months measured via a blinded assessor using a diagnostic clinical interview. Results: Individual data from 714 participants (mean [SD] age, 49.2 [11.5] years; 522 [73.1%] female) from 4 RCTs that compared preventive cognitive therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy during and/or after antidepressant tapering vs antidepressant monotherapy were available. Two-stage random-effects meta-analysis found no significant difference in time to depressive relapse between use of a psychological intervention during tapering of antidepressant medication vs antidepressant therapy alone (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.60-1.23). Younger age at onset (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99), shorter duration of remission (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-1.00), and higher levels of residual depressive symptoms at baseline (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.10) were associated with a higher overall risk of relapse. None of the included moderators were associated with risk of relapse. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this individual participant data meta-analysis suggest that regardless of the clinical factors included in these studies, the sequential delivery of a psychological intervention during and/or after tapering may be an effective relapse prevention strategy instead of long-term use of antidepressants. These results could be used to inform shared decision-making in clinical practice.

Reasons for Participation and Nonparticipation in Psychological Relapse Prevention for Anxiety and Depression: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depressive disorders frequently recur, but participation in effective psychological interventions to prevent relapse is limited. The reasons for nonparticipation are largely unknown, hampering successful implementation. The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate reasons why patients with remitted anxiety or depressive disorders refuse cognitive-behavioral therapy relapse prevention interventions (RPIs), (2) to compare these reasons with reasons to participate, and (3) to gain insight into patients' preferences regarding relapse prevention. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in which data were gathered from 52 semistructured interviews with patients who either refused or agreed to participate in psychological relapse prevention. The constant comparative method was used. RESULTS: The data showed that those who refused to participate (1) did have knowledge about relapse risks in general, (2) but did not relate this risk to themselves, and therefore, did not feel the need for relapse prevention, or (3) declined to participate for logistical reasons or reasons related to the content of the intervention. Preferences concerning the form and content of RPIs were very diverse. CONCLUSIONS: Psychoeducation on relapse should be provided to patients to help them relate recurrence risks to themselves. RPIs should also be individually tailored.

Effects of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in the Prevention and Treatment of Depressive Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been suggested to affect depressive disorders. This review aims to determine the effect of n-3 PUFAs on depressive symptoms in people with or without diagnosed depression. Medline, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the association between n-3 PUFAs and depressive symptoms or disorders as outcomes. A random-effects meta-analysis of standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was performed. Twenty-five studies (7682 participants) were included. Our meta-analysis (20 studies) indicated that n-3 PUFA supplementation lowered depressive symptomology as compared with placebo: SMD = -0.34, 95% CI: -0.55, -0.12, I2 = 86%, n = 5836, but a possible publication bias cannot be ruled out. Subgroup analyses indicated no statistically significant difference by treatment duration of <12 vs. ≥12 weeks, presence of comorbidity, or severity of depressive symptoms. Nevertheless, beneficial effects were seen in the subgroups of studies with longer treatment duration and with no depression and mild to moderate depression. Subgroup analysis by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) dosage revealed differences in favor of the lower EPA dosage. Sensitivity analysis including studies with low risk of bias seems to confirm the overall result. Supplementation of n-3 PUFA appears to have a modest beneficial effect on depressive symptomology, although the quality of evidence is still insufficient.