Depression

Too often in life we find ourselves over our heads and stressed out completely.  We have over worked ourselves and haven’t been careful to get enough sleep and good nutrition.  All of this can often lead to depression if we are not careful.  We know this and have been told the same thing for many years.  But what many people don’t know is that there are many causes of depression out there.

There is no single factor that causes depression and it can most often come from a multitude of reasons.  The first thing you need to understand about this problem is that it isn’t just a state of mind.  Depression is about physical changes in the chemical makeup of your brain.  Simply put, there is an issue with the chemicals that send signals to your brain and bodies nerves and are called neurotransmitters.

Some of the more prominent causes of depression are family history, trauma and stress, pessimistic personality, physical conditions, and other disorders.  The first of these, family history, involves genetic qualities that are carried down from generation to generation.  Often in these cases there is nothing you could do to prevent depression.  However, as you will see, many forms of depression will come on regardless of how you live your life.

Another one of the common causes of depression is trauma and stress.  While stress is something we can work to cut down on, often times it is the trauma that strikes the hardest and is hard to foresee. Such traumatic events in our life like the death of a loved one or a severe criminal act upon your person can both lead to severe depression if not dealt with effectively and quickly.  But what happens when they are combined.

Often people who have suffered such major medical emergencies like a heart attack or other medical problems can cause extreme stress to the body and mind.  Because your body is so physically weakened by the illness, it can easily cause depression.  The end result can be an endless cycle as it often causes an already difficult medical condition to get worse as these depression causes end up weakening the immune system.

However, not everyone must suffer a traumatic experience or extreme stress to become depressed.  If you are the type of person that is always looking at the negative aspects in life, then you have already primed your brain to misfire.  The result of this is a depression called dysthymia.  This type of life outlook will put you in a much higher risk for depression.  Therefore, seek help in changing how you look at life.

The last in the list of common causes of depression  are often associated with certain disorders.  Anxiety and eating disorders as well as schizophrenia and people with substance abuse issues all have an extremely high risk factor for depression.  To give a better example, let us look at someone who is a substance abuser.  What happens to these people is that they use their substance whether it be drugs or alcohol, to release chemicals called dopamine.

The chemical dopamine causes a euphoric feeling in your brain.  The problem with this is that overuse of this chemical in your brain causes you to become desensitized to it.  And this is where the need to take more and more to get that same feeling comes in.  However, the result is also extreme depression.  This is one of the causes of depression  that are complex because not only is it caused from the lack of getting that feeling back right off, but also because of the stresses and feelings of guilt that come with it.

Another important fact to look at when discussing causes of depression is who gets affected most.  It is a known fact that women are twice as likely to develop depression than men.  Although we do not know why this is, research has shown that many psychological factors help contribute like physical or sexual abuse.  If you or someone you know are at risk for depression, seek medical help today.