Let there be no doubt that depression is a serious mental illness that sometimes requires months and years of treatment on the road to a cure.  Each year, millions of people come to the realization that they suffer from depression.  To make things worse it is estimated that only a third of those who suffer the disease will ever seek treatment.  Because depression is considered a mental affliction, many sufferers shy away from seeking help from a doctor.  They would rather deal with the problem on their own than risk being stereotyped should they seek assistance.  Depression is more common-place than you might think and it will not go away on its own. We will discuss more about causes of depression here.

So, what causes depression?  There are many factors to consider, so the answer isn’t simple.  There are so many things factored into the causes of depression.  Let’s examine some of the most notorious.  Brain chemicals being out of proportion contributes strongly to depression.  This may be the case, but what causes that imbalance?  Typically the causes stem from biological, genetic, physical, mental and environmental implications.  Doctors sometimes don’t find the root cause, which is true for many patients.  If diagnosis of another serious medical condition happens, sometimes people become depressed.

Another cause of depression can be the emotional pain felt after losing a loved one.  In many cases the loss can be very traumatic.  Some depression is brought on after years of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.  In addition, many cases of depression are given birth by substance abuse, rather it be drugs or alcohol.  Even a perfectly healthy person, when exposed to the right combination of events and issues, can become afflicted with chronic depression.  In many cases depression is passed on genetically.  Those afflicted have a family history of the disease.  There are even some prescribed medications that can bring on depression.  High blood pressure medication can result in depression. 

One of the major causes of depression is stress.  Stress can derive from many different areas in our life.  Some of that stress can even be related to positive events in our lives such as promotions, graduation or moving into a new house.  In these cases it’s not the good event causing stress, but fear of the unknown and/or fear of ability to deserve or maintain the positive element.  In addition, many are stressed from personal conflicts with their loved ones, associates in employment or friends.  Some people have a low threshold for stress.  They’re affected by events and activities that to others seem to not be stressful.  Knowing is half the battle.  If you or someone you love suffers from depression-please seek medical assistance.