What causes depression is the way the brain regulates our feel good chemicals. People whose brains are just not releasing certain chemicals or whose brains are not releasing enough of these chemicals are going to suffer from clinical depression. These chemicals are necessary for a happy mood and when the body doesn’t get them, a person will feel sadness no matter what. However, there are other reasons and what causes depression in some people, you may not expect.
While it’s true that chemical imbalances are what causes depression, other outside factors can play a major part. For example, some people suffer from what is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. This is when they have depression during the winter months or when the sunlight is scarce. Most people prefer a sunny day over a dark and drizzly one, but those with SAD are more sensitive to this situation than most. Dark days, being inside because of the weather and the cold air seems to be what causes depression in their case.
One cure for this is to replace the standard light bulbs with those that mimic outside lights and to be outside as much as possible, even if it’s dark and dreary. Being cooped up inside with a lack of fresh air also contributes to what causes depression for SAD sufferers so just being outside for a few minutes will help no end.
It is also believed that a person can learn depressive and negative thinking which in turn will lead to clinical depression. It’s as if a person is teaching themselves to be depressed and the body will eventually learn to be that way automatically. You might compare it to someone that purposely walks with a limp - they will eventually have a real one! What causes depression might be pessimistic thinking, a lack of self-esteem, trauma survived such as a crime, natural disaster, job loss, financial setback, poor health, divorce or even a past event such as being abused as a child. A person thinks about these things in a negative and depressive way and soon those thoughts become automatic. It should be noted that it takes extremely negative thoughts to be considered a cause of depression; what causes depression is not just being in a bad mood or being frustrated with one’s problems.
Scientists and doctors are learning new things about what causes depression every single day. We now know for example that extreme anxiety can lead a person to depression because the body just shuts down to that heightened state of awareness. We know that depression can be hereditary and we understand that victims of bullying amongst teenagers can be struck with depression.
These scientists and doctors have been and still are working hard at developing new and innovative treatments for depression. What causes depression for one person is more than likely not the cause in another so consult your doctor if you suspect you may have clinical depression.
If you would like further information about what causes depression please grab yourself a copy of our free ebook “How To Diagnose Depression” by clicking here.
