There is no single cause for depression. Depression can be caused by one or more factors. Some people are more likely to be depressed than others. There are different reasons that attempt to explain the causes of depression.
Heredity: There is an increased risk for clinical depression when there is a family history of disease, suggesting that it may have inherited a biological predisposition. This risk is somewhat higher for people with bipolar disorder. However, not all people who have a family history have the disease. In addition, severe depression can also occur in people who have no family history of disease.
This suggests that there are additional factors that can cause depression, whether biochemical factors, or environmental stressors and psychosocial factors.
Biochemical factors: It has been shown that the biochemistry of the brain plays a significant role in depressive disorders. For example, we know that typically people with major depression have imbalances of certain chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters.
In addition, sleep patterns, which are affected by the biochemistry of the body, are generally different in people with depressive disorders. Depression can be induced or alleviated with certain medications, and some hormones can alter moods.
What remains unknown is whether the biochemical imbalance of depression are genetic or is caused by stress, trauma, or physical illness or other environmental conditions.
Stressful situations: Death of a close family member or friend, a chronic illness, interpersonal problems, financial difficulties, divorce can cause symptoms of depression that sustained over time can trigger a clinical depression.
Seasonality – Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been observed that people who develop depression during the winter months when the days get shorter. It is possible that reducing the number of hours of light affects the balance of certain chemicals in the brain, leading to symptoms of depression.
Personality: People with negative mental patterns, low self-esteem, perceived lack of control over life circumstances and a tendency to excessive worry are more likely to suffer from depression.
These attributes may heighten the effect of stress or interfere with the ability to confront and overcome them. Apparently, negative thinking patterns typically are established in childhood or adolescence and are conforming to a pattern over time of depressive thinking.
