Causes of Depression- Factors Play a Role in Depression

Depression has no single cause; often, it results from a combination of things.You may have no idea why depression has struck you.
Whatever its cause, depression is not just a state of mind. It is related to physical changes in the brain, and connected to an imbalance of a type of chemical that carries signals in your brain and nerves. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters.

Depression is a combination of biological, genetic and psychological factors. At the biological level , depression results from abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. This can be caused by changing levels of hormones, explaining why many people first experience depression during puberty.

Some of the more common factors involved in depression are:

• Family history. Genetics play an important part in depression. It can run in families for generations.

• Trauma and stress. Things like financial problems, the breakup of a relationship, or the death of a loved one can bring on depression. You can become depressed after changes in your life, like starting a new job, graduating from school, or getting married.

• Pessimistic personality. People who have low self-esteem and a negative outlook are at higher risk of becoming depressed. These traits may actually be caused by low-level depression (called dysthymia).

• Physical conditions. Serious medical conditions like heart disease, cancer, and HIV can contribute to depression, partly because of the physical weakness and stress they bring on. Depression can make medical conditions worse, since it weakens the immune system and can make pain harder to bear. In some cases, depression can be caused by medications used to treat medical conditions.

• Other psychological disorders. Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and (especially) substance abuse often appear along with depression.

What Causes depression?

The multiple causes of depression aren't completely understood. Current research suggests possible genetic, familial, biochemical, physical, psychological, and social causes. Psychological causes (the focus of many nursing interventions) may include feelings of helplessness and vulnerability, anger, hopelessness and pessimism, and low self-esteem. They may be related to abnormal character and behavior patterns and troubled personal relationships. In many patients, the history identifies a specific personal loss or severe stressor that probably interacts with the person's predisposition to provoke major depression.

Depression may be secondary to a specific medical condition, for example:

• metabolic disturbances, such as hypoxia and hypercalcemia
• endocrine disorders, such as diabetes and Cushing's syndrome
• neurologic diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease
• cancer (especially of the pancreas)
• viral and bacterial infections, such as influenza and pneumonia
• cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure
• pulmonary disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• musculoskeletal disorders such as degenerative arthritis
• GI disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome
• genitourinary problems such as incontinence
• collagen vascular diseases such as lupus
• anemia's.

Drugs prescribed for medical and psychiatric conditions as well as many commonly abused substances can also cause depression. Examples include antihypertensives, psychotropics, narcotic and nonnarcotic analgesics, antiparkinsonian drugs, numerous cardiovascular medications, oral anti diabetics, antimicrobials, steroids, chemotherapeutic agents, cimetidine, and alcohol.
People who have low self-esteem, who consistently view themselves and the world with pessimism or who are readily overwhelmed by stress, are prone to depression. Whether this represents a psychological predisposition or an early form of the illness is not clear.
It is important to remember that all of the depressive disorders are treatable conditions.

What are the Causes of Major Depression?

Depression is a combination of biological, genetic and psychological factors. Major depression is caused by imbalance of certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain. The following are the most common causes for major depression:
• unemployment
• family history of depression
• death of loved one
• financial difficulties
• poor self-esteem,
• a pessimistic view of oneself and the world.
• other chronic illnesses
• loss of relationship

What are the Causes of postpartum depression?

Postpartum depression may be caused by several reasons, these includes:
• hormone changes in your blood that occur following childbirth.
• Stress,
• lack of sleep,
• poor diet, or not enough help may cause depression.
• family factors are also important, including the relationship a mother has with the child's father, and the support she receives from other people.
• Women who have mental health problems before childbirth are more likely to feel depressed after having a baby.

What are the Causes of Teenage and Adolescent Depression?

The precise causes of depression are not known. Extensive research on adults with depression generally points to both biological and psychosocial factors. Some of them are:

• Teen Depression Family and genetic factors - It is still under research whether the relationship between parent and teen depression derives from genetic factors, or whether depressed parents create an environment that increases the chances of depression in their children.

• Teen Depression Gender Differences - One reason for depression in adolescent girls may be that they are more socially oriented, more dependent on positive social relationships, and more vulnerable to losses of social relationships than are boys.

• Teen Depression Biological Factors - Some of the core symptoms of depression, such as changes in appetite and sleep patterns, are related to the functions of the hypothalamus. The functioning of hypothalamus is well associated with depression in adults. However, far less research has been done in this area among teens and adolescents.

• Teen Depression Cognitive Factors - A person with negative mind set is one who readily assumes personal blame for negative events. The mind set in question is known as a pessimistic "attribution bias". Individuals with this mind set react more passively, helplessly and ineffectively to negative events than those without a pessimistic mind set

What is the cause of manic depression?

Cause of manic depression The following list of possible causes shows there is no single ‘exclusive’ cause of manic depression.

• Genetic Factor
  The cause of manic depression is biological in origin and genetic -- Manic depression tends to run in families. Genetic abnormalities appear in chromosomes. A combination of biological, genetic, and environmental factors “appears to trigger and perpetuate the chemical imbalances in the brain that shape this complex disorder.”

• Abnormal Brain Activity
  The multi-faceted cause of manic depression has been revealed by imaging scans and other tests to the brain. These show:
  Oversecretion of cortisol, a stress hormone
  Excessive calcium influx into brain cells
  Abnormal hyperactivity in parts of the brain associated with emotion and movement coordination
  Low activity in parts of the brain associated with concentration, attention, inhibition, and judgment.
  Neurotransmitters
  Elevated level of vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2), a protein in the brain that regulates neurotransmitters, has been observed in the brainstems of bipolar disorder patients. “Neurotransmitters called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and norepinephrine have been implicated in mania."

• Infectious Agents Like Viruses
  Researchers are observing the role infectious agents may play as a trigger or cause of manic depression. The Borna virus and herpes simplex 2 virus are viruses that are under investigation concerning possible causes of manic depression or bipolar disorder.

• Super-fast Biological Clock?
  One interesting theory on the cause of manic depression or bipolar disorder is that there is a super-fast biological “clock” located in the hypothalamus, in the center of the brain, which is actually a tiny cluster of nerves called the supra chiasmatic nucleus or SCN. This regulates a person’s daily cycle of life or circadian rhythm and influences sleeping and waking.

Different causes of the depression which taken into account are:

1.Who is most likely to get depressed (SUSCEPTIBILITY)?

Who is most likely to get depressed? The different forms of depression are not necessarily caused in the same way. There are certain factors that make some people more likely to suffer from certain types of depression than others.

Sex

Statistics suggest that Women are more likely to suffer from a depressive illness than men. Of course, men also suffer from depressive illness, and their susceptibility may also be due to social factors. Men find that they are unable to find the dominant position simply because they were born male. It is, perhaps, this insecurity which is making them more susceptible to depression. Increase depression in men closely related to increase in alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide.

Heredity

Does depression runs in families? It seems that susceptibility to depression is like any other inherited traits in which some people in the family inherit it and others do not. There is a genetic predisposition to some kinds of depression.
A susceptibility to severe bipolar depression is genetically transmitted, it does not necessarily follow, however , that just because someone inherits the susceptibility, he or she will develop the illness.

Age

Elderly people are particularly susceptible to depression, especially if they lose their self-esteem. They may begin to see themselves as useless- a burden to society and their families. Loneliness and the loss of a purpose in life make the elderly more susceptible to depressed moods.

Environment

Certain type of everyday situation have been found to be closely associated with depressive illness.
Married women form the largest group of people suffer from depression. Women with low esteem are more likely to marry unsuitable men because they are afraid that nobody else will want them.
Another environmental factor which can contribute to depression is poor living conditions.

2.What will actually make them depressed (TRIGGER) ?

What causes a person who is susceptible to tip over the edge into a depressive illness? In most types of depression it is a stressful incident of some kind which causes stress to the person who is vulnerable.

It is thought that depressive episode may be caused by some kind of biological or chemical changes in the body which does not appear to be within the control of the sufferer.

They might be triggered by certain foods, by imbalances caused by hormonal changes in the sufferer's biochemistry brought about by the way he or she thinks and feel.

Some sufferers will say that their illness was triggered by events or changes in their life, usually involving some kind of loss or personal threat.

In recent years, researchers have shown that physical changes in the body can be accompanied by mental changes as well. Medical illnesses such as stroke, a heart attack, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and hormonal disorders can cause depressive illness, making the sick person apathetic and unwilling to care for his or her physical needs, thus prolonging the recovery period. Also, a serious loss, difficult relationship, financial problem, or any stressful (unwelcome or even desired) change in life patterns can trigger a depressive episode. Very often, a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors is involved in the onset of a depressive disorder. Later episodes of illness typically are precipitated by only mild stresses, or none at all.

3.What keeps them feeling depressed (MAINTENANCE)?

In all but some of the most severe forms of depression, it is the sufferer's reaction to the depression and their thoughts about the incidents that caused it which are often important for maintaining it.

Two factors which comes under this category are as follows:

Personality Traits :

A tendency to look on the negative side of things can be a maintenance factor in someone who is suffering from any degree of unipolar depression. So, negative ways of thinking can keep depression going. Find out more on depression and your thoughts.

Environmental Influences

These refer to the part played by the situations people find themselves in their jobs, their homes, their relationships. If one of these is unsatisfactory in some way, it will make sufferers feel even more worse and it will be harder for them to think positively in order to help themselves get better.