What depression is and what can cause it?

Thank you for your question, reader. According to Harvard Health Publishing, depression is a complex disease with many possible and interlinked causes, including genetics, medical conditions, stressful life events, and brain chemistry. Let’s see if I can help break that down for you. First, I’ll address the biology of depression. Depression is a mood disorder related to changes in brain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Changes in brain chemistry cause an array of symptoms that last for two weeks or longer. One of these symptoms must be a significant low mood or low energy level attributed to depression. Research suggests that people can have a genetic predisposition for depression, making it more likely that they will have a depressive episode sometime during their lives. Think of a genetic predisposition as a light switch in the “off” position. You may have that in your DNA; then, when certain life events happen, that light switch is triggered “on,” and depression occurs.

This brings us to the stressful life events that can be contributing factors to depression. Depression can be brought on by changes in life and body chemistry that come with pregnancy and giving birth, for example. Depression can develop out of major changes to a person’s sleep schedule, as research has shown that normal sleep (or Circadian) rhythms are important to maintain a healthy mood. Triggers for depression are not always something we might think of as traumatic; depression can occur when a person is experiencing a high level of stress. Stress can be due to things we consider negative, such as family problems, and stress can be due to things we can usually consider to be positive, like getting married or starting a new job.

There is also a correlation between depression and chronic medical conditions. When the body’s immune system is compromised, the neurotransmitters mentioned above can have difficulties regulating. This can certainly contribute to people experiencing a drop in their moods.

I hope this has helped answer some of your questions about depression and its causes. If you are experiencing a drop in mood that has lasted at least two weeks, it is important to seek treatment from a mental health professional. Getting help for depression can help you recover faster and avoid consequences when you are suffering for longer.