Chronic stress promotes depression and reduces #autophagy (=cellular self-cleaning) in certain #brain regions. Anti-depressants can restore autophagy. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08807-4
Stress dynamically modulates neuronal autophagy to gate depression onset - Nature

Acute stress activates autophagy in the lateral habenula, whereas chronic stress suppresses it, with this autophagy having a causal role in maintaining emotional homeostasis against stress, and its restoration through autophagy enhancers offers a novel antidepressant strategy.

Nature