Different types of depression can have different causes. If you can pinpoint the cause, it goes a long way in helping you figure out how to treat it.
Genetically Inherited
In early '06, Rockefeller University researchers--with the help of an international team of scientists--identified a "depression gene" called p11. Evidently this gene controls serotonin transmission in your brain. And in case you didn't know, serotonin is the main 'mood chemical' in your brain; if you don't have enough floating around your brain, you will be prone to depression.
But just because your p11 gene is faulty doesn't necessarily mean you'll be depressed; it simply means you're more susceptible to depression. This is because depression is a complex disease intertwined with psychological causes as well as physical:
Let's take a fictional character "Joan" as an example: Her p11 gene is bad, but she's not depressed and never has been. But now - six months after the death of her husband, she still can't get out of bed until 2pm, her home has not been cleaned for many weeks, and she hasn't gotten out of the house to see friends or family. She's not in mourning but clinically depressed. (Joan will probably respond well to a "Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor" like "Prozac.")
But it's important to note that this will not, for example, bring back their deceased loved one--which was the "precipitating event" that launched them into depression. This is why it's always best to treat depression with cognitive therapies (a fancy way of saying 'talking with a trained therapist' ), as well as with medicine like Prozac.
What's another option to deal with this type of depression? Self help. Reading a step-by-step plan on overcoming depression. (More later...)
Stressful Event(s)
Even though your serotonin levels may be normal, a single stressful event (like in the above example) can make someone clinically depressed. And sometimes it's a combination of events that can make some folks develop depression...
I was so depressed at one time that I tried to kill myself by driving over 130 mph into a bunch of trees. (The fact that it was a "bunch of trees" instead of just one big tree is one reason I'm here with you now.) But when you read my story you will nevertheless be astounded I survived. I was only 16.
Miraculously surviving my suicide attempt was a turning point in my life if there ever was one. I started looking for natural cures for depression because, for one thing, there was no such thing as depression medication like "Zoloft," and I just knew it was up to me to figure out how to outsmart depression. This was something that--at least in my case--could not be solved in a pill, no matter how "high-tech" the medical technology.
It's Usually Multiple Stressors Over Time
Using divorce as an example - even though divorce describes a single event, the divorcee goes thru multiple stressful events at the same time:
- Loss of love
- Loss of financial security: "How am I going to pay off this debt?"
- Loss of a higher standard of living: The nice car is replaced by a crappy one, nice home replaced by a fleabag apartment.
- Interaction with your own kids now becomes a privilege, not a right.
- Having to move when you aren't ready. (Moving is, of course, stressful by itself.)
...You get the idea.
Taught To 'Enjoy' Depression
I know this sounds weird, but some people actually enjoy being depressed. Well, not exactly, but they really 'get into' the drama of emotional events. For these people, getting depressed is the equivalent of being extremely happy about something positive, only it's the opposite; they feel the significance of the negative event justifies long-term sadness.
The reasons for this 'depression response' are two-fold: It protects them from having to deal with responsibilities of everyday life, and/or it gets them attention they wouldn't otherwise get from people around them.
One theory is that they are "taught" this behavior as toddlers and young kids:
Your parents may have left you alone if you weren't whining or crying, figuring "he must be happy--let's not bother him." By only paying a attention to you if you cried about something, they've taught you a life lesson: Personal care and attention comes your way if you are in distress. - 16004
Genetically Inherited
In early '06, Rockefeller University researchers--with the help of an international team of scientists--identified a "depression gene" called p11. Evidently this gene controls serotonin transmission in your brain. And in case you didn't know, serotonin is the main 'mood chemical' in your brain; if you don't have enough floating around your brain, you will be prone to depression.
But just because your p11 gene is faulty doesn't necessarily mean you'll be depressed; it simply means you're more susceptible to depression. This is because depression is a complex disease intertwined with psychological causes as well as physical:
Let's take a fictional character "Joan" as an example: Her p11 gene is bad, but she's not depressed and never has been. But now - six months after the death of her husband, she still can't get out of bed until 2pm, her home has not been cleaned for many weeks, and she hasn't gotten out of the house to see friends or family. She's not in mourning but clinically depressed. (Joan will probably respond well to a "Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor" like "Prozac.")
But it's important to note that this will not, for example, bring back their deceased loved one--which was the "precipitating event" that launched them into depression. This is why it's always best to treat depression with cognitive therapies (a fancy way of saying 'talking with a trained therapist' ), as well as with medicine like Prozac.
What's another option to deal with this type of depression? Self help. Reading a step-by-step plan on overcoming depression. (More later...)
Stressful Event(s)
Even though your serotonin levels may be normal, a single stressful event (like in the above example) can make someone clinically depressed. And sometimes it's a combination of events that can make some folks develop depression...
I was so depressed at one time that I tried to kill myself by driving over 130 mph into a bunch of trees. (The fact that it was a "bunch of trees" instead of just one big tree is one reason I'm here with you now.) But when you read my story you will nevertheless be astounded I survived. I was only 16.
Miraculously surviving my suicide attempt was a turning point in my life if there ever was one. I started looking for natural cures for depression because, for one thing, there was no such thing as depression medication like "Zoloft," and I just knew it was up to me to figure out how to outsmart depression. This was something that--at least in my case--could not be solved in a pill, no matter how "high-tech" the medical technology.
It's Usually Multiple Stressors Over Time
Using divorce as an example - even though divorce describes a single event, the divorcee goes thru multiple stressful events at the same time:
- Loss of love
- Loss of financial security: "How am I going to pay off this debt?"
- Loss of a higher standard of living: The nice car is replaced by a crappy one, nice home replaced by a fleabag apartment.
- Interaction with your own kids now becomes a privilege, not a right.
- Having to move when you aren't ready. (Moving is, of course, stressful by itself.)
...You get the idea.
Taught To 'Enjoy' Depression
I know this sounds weird, but some people actually enjoy being depressed. Well, not exactly, but they really 'get into' the drama of emotional events. For these people, getting depressed is the equivalent of being extremely happy about something positive, only it's the opposite; they feel the significance of the negative event justifies long-term sadness.
The reasons for this 'depression response' are two-fold: It protects them from having to deal with responsibilities of everyday life, and/or it gets them attention they wouldn't otherwise get from people around them.
One theory is that they are "taught" this behavior as toddlers and young kids:
Your parents may have left you alone if you weren't whining or crying, figuring "he must be happy--let's not bother him." By only paying a attention to you if you cried about something, they've taught you a life lesson: Personal care and attention comes your way if you are in distress. - 16004
About the Author:
Find out which causes of depression could be affecting you right now. Also download your complimentary special report, "How To Tell If It's Clinical Depression And Not Just The Blues." But most important, you'll find out how to treat and cure your depression the right way.
