Causes of Depression - An Overview

Depression is a persistent feeling of uselessness, as you are living without any purpose in the world. It feels like everything around you is right and you are completely wrong. Depression is like as you are all alone in this world and have nobody to care and listen.

But scientifically, according to brain imaging technology, we all have neurotransmitters in our brain. These neurotransmitters are responsible for the control of moods and our other activities and behaviors as - sleep, appetite etc. Imbalance of this brain chemistry leads to depression.

Depression can be identified with the following symptoms-

· Constant bad mood

· Everything seems wrong to you

· Disturbance in the sleep-wake cycle (insomnia, sleep full of dreams, oversleeping etc.

· Excessive crying - even on no or insignificant reasons.

· Waking up in the morning feels like a struggle.

· Feeling unable to make even simple decisions.

· You start to hate your own family and friends. They irritate you.

· You feel a partition between you and your family.

· Difficult to concentrate on anything.

· Feelings of guilt and hopelessness.

· Feelings of suffocation

· Feelings of worry and anxiousness.

· Recurring thoughts of death and suicide.

· Your senses stop working- food tastes bad, music doesn't please you, and beautiful things don't make you happy.

· Sexual dissatisfaction.

· Unable to carry even a normal conversation.

· Recurring thoughts of every failure or every bad experience.

· Change in appetite - overeating or loss of appetite

Along with the above reasons, here are some more reasons which can lead to depression-

Persistent memory of stressful life events -

Depression can be caused by stressful life events or accidents. A person feels unable to get rid of the memories of these events and sinks deep in the ocean of depression. It can be death of a close family member or friend, death of spouse, divorce, career problems etc.

Persistent disease or illness-

Sometimes person suffering from a chronic disease or illness such as cancer, heart problem, HIV, diabetes etc. leads to depression. It's really very difficult to adapt the new conditions after the particular illness.

Depression is hereditary-

It's really unbelievable but it's true that depression runs in genes. It can run for generations.

Causes of depression in men and women-

Of course, depression affects both men and women. But rate of depression in women is much higher than men. In women the effects of hormones, menstruation, contraceptives, pregnancy, child birth and menopause are the contributing factors of depression.

Generally men suffer from hidden depression. Men are supposed to be emotionally stronger than women. So they try to hide their depression. They express their depression in alcoholism, drugs, tranquilizers or antisocial behavior.

Causes and treatment of depression are different in different people. One type of treatment is not fit for all. To choose the best treatment option, you have to identify the causes of your depression. A combination of lifestyle changes, medication, self help, and therapy may help. 

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