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.
Genetics
There was a famous study done in 2006 by an international team of scientists, led by Rockefeller University researchers, that identified a gene called "p11." This "depression gene" plays a role in controlling the neurotransmitter "serotonin" in your brain. If this gene is not working right, you may have a serotonin deficiency and thus be prone to depression.
But you should know that a bad p11 gene doesn't mean you will be depressed. It just means that you will be more apt to get depression. The reason for this is that depression is a very complex disease with not only physical causes but psychological ones as well.
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...)
Traumatic Or Stressful Event
Sometimes a single stressful event (as in the above example) can send someone into depression--even though their serotonin levels are normal. Or a combination of stressful events can cause some people to get depressed...
When I was just 16, I was so depressed that I tried to kill myself by driving my car as fast as it would go into trees lining a two-lane highway. (You will not believe I survived when you read my story.) But my suicide attempt was the culmination of a couple years of stress that included flunking school, getting in trouble with the law, girlfriend breaking up with me, and wrecking my car.
My amazing survival was a turning point in my life. I started looking for natural cures for depression because I knew that changing my life would involve much more than taking a pill like Prozac or some other SRI - "Serotonin Reuptake Inhibior." (They weren't around then anyway!) But I was determined to 'outsmart' my depression.
It's Rarely Just One Stressful Event
The word, "divorce" may mean a single event, but it encompasses multiple highly stressful events all at once:
- Loss of companionship
- Financial security gives way to financial worry.
- Loss of a better standard of living... The house and car is downsized.
- Daily contact with your kids is no more.
- Having to move when you aren't ready. (Moving is, of course, stressful by itself.)
...And so on--you get the general 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 real reasons for someone wallowing in depression are: One, it gets them personal one-on-one attention from people (their 'caretakers'). And two, it gives them 'permission' to let their daily responsibilities of life slide; they can stay in bed 'til late and avoid cooking and cleaning, for example, and nobody will say anything derogatory about their 'laziness.'
Psychologists tell us one theory is that they are "taught" this behavior as toddlers:
If your parents habitually left you alone to play, figuring "...she's happy, leave her alone," and paid attention to you only if you cried, they unknowingly taught you a life lesson: You will get personal attention only if you are in distress. - 16004
Genetics
There was a famous study done in 2006 by an international team of scientists, led by Rockefeller University researchers, that identified a gene called "p11." This "depression gene" plays a role in controlling the neurotransmitter "serotonin" in your brain. If this gene is not working right, you may have a serotonin deficiency and thus be prone to depression.
But you should know that a bad p11 gene doesn't mean you will be depressed. It just means that you will be more apt to get depression. The reason for this is that depression is a very complex disease with not only physical causes but psychological ones as well.
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...)
Traumatic Or Stressful Event
Sometimes a single stressful event (as in the above example) can send someone into depression--even though their serotonin levels are normal. Or a combination of stressful events can cause some people to get depressed...
When I was just 16, I was so depressed that I tried to kill myself by driving my car as fast as it would go into trees lining a two-lane highway. (You will not believe I survived when you read my story.) But my suicide attempt was the culmination of a couple years of stress that included flunking school, getting in trouble with the law, girlfriend breaking up with me, and wrecking my car.
My amazing survival was a turning point in my life. I started looking for natural cures for depression because I knew that changing my life would involve much more than taking a pill like Prozac or some other SRI - "Serotonin Reuptake Inhibior." (They weren't around then anyway!) But I was determined to 'outsmart' my depression.
It's Rarely Just One Stressful Event
The word, "divorce" may mean a single event, but it encompasses multiple highly stressful events all at once:
- Loss of companionship
- Financial security gives way to financial worry.
- Loss of a better standard of living... The house and car is downsized.
- Daily contact with your kids is no more.
- Having to move when you aren't ready. (Moving is, of course, stressful by itself.)
...And so on--you get the general 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 real reasons for someone wallowing in depression are: One, it gets them personal one-on-one attention from people (their 'caretakers'). And two, it gives them 'permission' to let their daily responsibilities of life slide; they can stay in bed 'til late and avoid cooking and cleaning, for example, and nobody will say anything derogatory about their 'laziness.'
Psychologists tell us one theory is that they are "taught" this behavior as toddlers:
If your parents habitually left you alone to play, figuring "...she's happy, leave her alone," and paid attention to you only if you cried, they unknowingly taught you a life lesson: You will get personal attention only if you are in distress. - 16004
About the Author:
Find out which causes of depression may be affecting you right now. Also download your complimentary 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 permanently.
