Causes of Depression

26 May

Posted by Dr John Anne as Depression

The causes of clinical depression are likely to be different for different people. Sometimes a depressive episode can appear to come out of nowhere at a time when everything seems to be going fine. Other times, depression may be directly related to a significant event in our lives such as losing a loved one, experiencing trauma, or battling a chronic illness.
Causes of Depression

Although depression causes physical symptoms, and on rare occasions has physical causes, it is not a disease.

A core aspect of depression is thinking styles, but does being a pessimist inevitably cause depression?

Trauma, upheaval or sad experiences can seem to trigger depression, but why in people whose

A serious loss, chronic illness, relationship problems, work stress, family crisis, financial setback, or any unwelcome life change can trigger a depressive episode. Very often, a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors are involved in the development of depressive disorders, as well as other psychological problems.

Psychological - is where a stressful, or upsetting, life event causes a persistent low mood, low self-esteem and feelings of hopelessness about the future.

Physical or chemical - depression is caused by changes in levels of chemicals in the brain. For example, your mood can change as hormone levels go up and down. This is often seen in women as it is associated with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and the menopause.

Major depression also seems to occur in generation after generation in some families, although not as strongly as in bipolar I or II. Indeed, major depression can also occur in people who have no family history of depression.

We can see another complication by going back to the broken leg example. Some people suffer from osteoporosis which makes their bones more fragile (more vulnerable). If you only had a minor accident when you went skiing, your osteoporosis was probably as much the cause of your broken leg, since it made your leg more vulnerable to the effects of pressure. If you have a major accident, however, the leg will probably break, osteoporosis or not.

Hormonal causes of depression

Women experience depression about twice as often as men. Many hormonal factors may contribute to increased rate of depression in women, particularly such factors as menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum period, pre-menopause, and menopause.