Let there be no doubt that depression is a serious mental illness that requires months and sometimes years of treatment on the path to a cure. Every year, millions of Americans feel the symptoms of depression. To make things worse it is estimated that only a third of those who suffer the disease will ever seek treatment. Depression has always been classified as a mental affliction. Therefore, many Americans choose not to be placed into that category. Instead of being considered mentally ill, people try to manage the problem themselves. Depression doesn’t just stop, and it’s a lot more common than people think.
Why do people get depression? There are many factors to consider, so the answer isn’t simple. There are so many things factored into the cause of this disease. Lets examine some of the most notorious. A chemical imbalance is widely considered to be the main cause for depression. Why does this chemical problem in the brain happen? Typically the causes stem from biological, genetic, physical, mental and environmental implications. In many cases the underlying cause is never identified. If diagnosis of another serious medical condition happens, sometimes people become depressed.
The loss of a loved one or treasured possession can have a tremendous impact resulting in depression. Long periods of emotional, sexual or other physical abuses can result in depression. When people abuse drugs and/or alcohol the result is often depression. People’s mental states are fragile. If exposed to the wrong pressures, depression can result.
Depression is often passed along in the DNA. A strong correlation between family history of depression and current depression has been found . Oddly, many drugs including those that regulate depression or anxiety can cause depression. It has been clinically proven that some high blood pressure medication can cause depression.
A major cause of depression is stress. In our lives many events and elements can cause stress. Some of that stress can even be related to positive events in our lives such as promotions, graduation or moving into a new house. In these cases it’s not the good event causing stress, but fear of the unknown and/or fear of ability to deserve or maintain the positive element. When friends or loved ones come into conflict with an individual – a co-worker or loved one – the result is stress.
There are a great number of people who are stressed from simply trying to perform their jobs to satisfaction and trying to support their families from week to week. By determining the cause, medical professionals have a much better chance of administering a treatment. Seek medical help if you or a loved one suffer from depression.
