Causes of Depression
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Causes of Depression
Why do some people often feel depressed while others never do? What exactly causes depression? These are good questions, and there are a number of answers.
Some people become depressed following death or loss of a loved one or some other event in their lives that makes them feel sad. For others it's not just one event that triggers depression, but a number of different things in their life that combined make them depressed. And sometimes people become depressed for no apparent reason at all.
A lot of different factors in your life can contribute to you becoming depressed.
Below you'll read about some of the many reasons why people become depressed. Understanding why depression happens is an important step toward diagnosis and recovery.
All in the Genes?
In some people, heredity plays a role in the development of depression. That means the genes they have inherited from their mother and father make them more prone to develop depression. That's the reason depression sometimes runs in families. In fact, you are more likely to suffer from depression if one or more of your relatives have been depressed.
In other people, physical changes play a role. For example, some women become depressed after pregnancy, possibly due to changes in hormones in their bodies. Having other illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, or Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease may cause depression, as well. Medications also can cause depression.
Stress and Everyday Life
Let's think about how a lot of us live our lives. We wake up early in the morning, grab a bite to eat, wake our children, get them ready for school and out the door, drive our car for 45 minutes to spend eight hours at a desk, drive those 45 minutes home again, make dinner, help the kids do homework then—if we're lucky—we take an hour at the end of the night to unwind. Depressed just thinking about it?
Having a lot of stress in your life, including work, financial, relationship, health, and other types of stressors can definitely make you more likely to suffer from depression.
But issues and events in the here and now are not the only things that can stress you out and make you depressed. A history of abuse can contribute to someone becoming depressed.
A Glass: Empty or Full?
If you are pessimistic, have low self-esteem, worry a lot, and feel like you have little control over your life, you may be more likely to develop depression than a positive, easy-going individual.
A Chemical Reaction
Sometimes when people can't pinpoint a reason or reasons why they are depressed, their health-care facilitators look to chemistry for a possible answer.
People with depression may have low levels of certain "neurotransmitters" in their brains. Neurotransmitters are chemicals, similar to hormones, found in the brain. It is difficult to know whether low levels of these chemicals in the brain cause depression or are a result of depression.
Everyone is Unique
In most cases, it's likely that a number of different factors contribute to development of depression. These factors are unique for each individual and not always easy to identify. Whatever the cause, it' s important to recognize the symptoms of depression and seek the help you need.
Continue to:
My Books
