--- title: Blood Pressure and Hypertension Drugs May Lower Depression description: Blood pressure and mood disorders are linked, and the latest research explores how anti-hypertension drugs may treat depression canonical: https://time.com/4526031/blood-pressure-hypertension-depression/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-11T15:21:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:07:08.170Z article:section: Health og:title: Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Risk of Depression og:description: Blood pressure and mood disorders are linked, and the latest research explores how anti-hypertension drugs may treat depression og:url: https://time.com/4526031/blood-pressure-hypertension-depression/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte0cc90841c07ba41/6988a97d97cdff067c6ae210/gettyimages-77931952.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3626 og:image:height: 2040 og:image:alt: Blood pressure device on table og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Risk of Depression twitter:description: Blood pressure and mood disorders are linked, and the latest research explores how anti-hypertension drugs may treat depression twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte0cc90841c07ba41/6988a97d97cdff067c6ae210/gettyimages-77931952.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Risk of Depression > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=39b5d44d-aeb3-4042-a508-276414a5b723&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=39b5d44d-aeb3-4042-a508-276414a5b723&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=39b5d44d-aeb3-4042-a508-276414a5b723&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=39b5d44d-aeb3-4042-a508-276414a5b723&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Oct 11, 2016 3:21 PM UTC  Blood pressure device on table Blood pressure device on table Chris Ryan—Getty Images  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Oct 11, 2016 3:21 PM UTC Hypertension and depression may share some important biological pathways, an insight that may one day lead to a new way to treat depression. Previous studies have found that people with high blood pressure who take drugs to treat their condition tend to experience more depressive symptoms, while major depressive disorder is linked to a 1.3 fold greater risk of developing hypertension. To better understand how the two are connected, Sandosh Padmanabhan, professor of cardiovascular genomics and therapeutics at the University of Glasgow, and his colleagues took advantage of hospital data recording people’s blood pressure history and mood disorders. In a report published in _Hypertension_, Padmanabhan analyzed data from more than 144,000 people who had high blood pressure and were prescribed a drug to treat it. He compared this information with data on whether they were admitted to the hospital for a mood disorder over five years. Of the four different types of popular anti-hypertensive drugs in the study, two classes—beta blockers and calcium channel blockers—were linked to a higher risk of depression requiring hospitalization compared to angiotensin antagonists such as ACE inhibitors. The angiotensin drugs, however, were associated with a lower risk of mood disorder admissions, even compared to people who weren’t taking any medications for blood pressure control at all. That suggests that angiotensin antagonists might be protecting people from developing mood problems, which opens the possibility that they might be used as treatments for mood disorders like depression—even for people without hypertension. But Padmanabhan warns that more research is needed before doctors should consider prescribing the anti-hypertension drugs for depression, or for people taking beta blockers and calcium channel blockers to worry about their risk of depression. “Nobody should stop their treatment for hypertension” based on these results, he says. “However, the findings are something that we want doctors to be aware of.” The data is also important for depression researchers; it provides some new theories for scientists to test about how the pathways affected by the angiotensin drugs overlap with those involved in mood. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4526031/blood-pressure-hypertension-depression/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4526031/blood-pressure-hypertension-depression/"},"headline":"Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Risk of Depression","datePublished":"2016-10-11T15:21:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:07:08.170Z","description":"Blood pressure and mood disorders are linked, and the latest research explores how anti-hypertension drugs might soon be treating depression","url":"https://time.com/4526031/blood-pressure-hypertension-depression/","keywords":["Mental Health/Psychology","Depression","Drugs","Heart Disease","Blood Pressure","Mental Illness","hypertension"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte0cc90841c07ba41/6988a97d97cdff067c6ae210/gettyimages-77931952.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte0cc90841c07ba41/6988a97d97cdff067c6ae210/gettyimages-77931952.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Blood pressure device on table","caption":"Blood pressure device on table","creditText":"Chris Ryan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-healthpsychology/","name":"Mental Health/Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4526031/blood-pressure-hypertension-depression/","name":"Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Risk of Depression"}}]}] ```