Many people have days where they feel down and sad since it is a human reaction to feel that way when faced with some sort of a struggle or a deep loss. However, when it is extreme sadness accompanied with feeling worthless, and hopeless, then it could be a sign of something else. If the sadness lasts for weeks and interferes with you trying to live your life, then it could be depression.
Research states that one in every six people will have an episode of depression at some point throughout their life. While one can become a victim of depression at any time, on average, it makes its first appearance during the teens and mid-twenties. Women have a higher chance of experiencing depression as compared to men. In fact, some studies suggest that one-third of females will go through a depressive episode during their life. The question that’s of importance is what causes depression? To understand the answer, you need to understand the ailment.
As you might already know, depression is a grave medical illness. It has grown in popularity over the last few years due to general awareness. This illness has a negative impact on the way you feel, the way you act, and the way you think. The good news is that there are cures for depression!
Depression primarily causes a person to feel sadness and lose interest in all the things and activities that were once enjoyed by them. Due to depression, one can experience a number of physical and emotional problems, and it could also leave a person unable to function both at home and at work.
There are numerous identifiable symptoms of depression, and they can vary from mild symptoms to severe ones. Some of them include:Symptoms should last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression.
Symptoms should last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression.
Depression is known to be a very complex disease, and up till now, there is no surety about what causes depression; however, a few reasons have been pinpointed that could lead to depression. For some people, depression might be a part of a more serious illness while others may experience episodes of depression when they go through significant life changes or go through the death of someone close to them.
Similarly, some people might have a history of depression in their family. People with depression feel overwhelming loneliness and sadness. If you’re someone who’s wondering about what caused the great depression in your or someone else’s life, here are a few reasons.
Depression could be because of any of the following reasons:
According to research, one problem after another could trigger depression. For example, prolonged stress at work, long-term isolation, abusive relationships, and long-term employment are all common causes of depression, and they are known to be more responsible for such an ailment than recent life stresses. However, recent events or even a combination could make you tumble into depression if you’ve already gone through a few bad experiences.
Personal Factors
Personal factors that could lead to such a condition include a number of factors:
Genese: It is not uncommon for depression to run in families because of which some people are at an increasing risk of having a depressive episode. Since this is thought to be a complex illness, there is a chance that many genes lead to small effects that contribute to the risk of depression instead of one single gene. Like many psychiatric disorders, the genetics of depression is not straightforward.
It must also be known that this doesn’t mean that if a relative has depression, then you’ll definitely go through the same experience too. Other personal factors, as well as life circumstances, also have a big influence.
Personality Traits: A few personality traits put people at an increased risk of developing depression. These tendencies include the tendency to worry over small things and to have low self-confidence (excessively). People that are perfectionists, pessimists, self-critical or those that are sensitive to criticism can also be at a higher risk of depression.
Substance abuse: Using both alcohol and drugs could lead to such a condition as well. On the other hand, alcohol and drug use could be a result of depression. Statistics show that many people experience substance use disorder and depression at the same instance.
While there have been many studies regarding the brain chemistry of a depressed person, a lot is still unknown. In other words, depression doesn’t occur only because of a chemical imbalance in the brain. It is not a result of an excess or a lack of a particular chemical. In reality, numerous factors contribute to it such as medicines you take, life stressors, medical conditions and genetic vulnerability. All these factors could have an effect on the way the brain regulates moods and emotions.
Treating Depression
Many modern antidepressants focus on the two primary chemical transmitters of the brain; noradrenaline and serotonin. These chemicals relay the messages between the brain cells. Effective treatment stimulates the growth of never cells within the circuits responsible for regulating the mood. This is considered to play a crucial role in recovering from severe depressive episodes.
For effective treatment, it is vital to take efficient and reliable antidepressants. Some options include:
Abilify tablet
Abilify is used for treating manic depression, known commonly as bipolar discorder.
It is an antipsychotic medicine that decreases the levels of abnormal excitement in the brain and changes the actions of brain chemicals. When coupled with other medicines, it can be used for treating severe depressive episodes in adults.
Effexor
Apart from being used for treating a few kinds of anxiety disorders as well as for relieving anxiety symptoms, Effexor is also used for treating mental depression.
Prozac
Prozac is an antidepressant that belongs to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It is effective for a number of disorders including depression, OCD, bulimia, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and panic disorder. Moreover, when used together with olanzapine, it can treat resistant depression as well manic depression that comes with bipolar disorder.
Understanding what causes depression can help individuals be aware of certain triggers than can lead to depressive episodes. Furthermore, it can also urge you to seek professional assistance if your lifestyle and family history makes you vulnerable to such an ailment.