All About Depression -- Causes

What is depression?

Symptoms of depression may vary from person to person depending on the particular issues.  First of all it should be stressed that severe clinical depression is a potentially fatal disease as more than 42,000 people in the US committed suicide in 2014.  90% of suicides are related to clinical depression.  Clinical depression is a disease that is pervasive in diagnoses such as Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, Cyclothymic disorder pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder and many more.  Depression may occur with other mental health or physical diseases and may also occur with psychosis.  Below, are some of the symptoms of depression quoted from http://www.mayoclinic.org

• Feelings of sadness, fearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
• Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities such as sex, hobbies and sports
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
• Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
• Changes in appetite
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt; fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that aren't your responsibility
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent and recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
• Unexplained physical problems such as back pain and headaches.

It should also be noted that people with depression have been found to experience more physical pain than others and Fibromyalgia is thought to be related to depression.

Here are some common associated symptoms with depression:

• Weight gain or loss
• Alcohol or drug abuse (self-medicating)
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Social isolation
• Suicidal thoughts and actions
• Self Harm such as cutting, burning, etc.
• Premature death.

Some Causes of Depression:

1. The Brain:  Common areas of the brain that appear to be related to depression include:  the amygdala (almond shaped set of neurons deep in the medial temporal lobe), the thalamus (plays a role in controlling motor systems of the brain responsible for voluntary motor movement and coordination), and the hippocampus (the elongated ridges at the bottom of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be a center for emotion, memory and the autonomic nervous system).   Research has shown that the hippocampus of depressed women was 9% to 13% smaller than non-depressed women.  The more cycles of depression the women had, the smaller their hippocampus was. It has been hypothesized that sluggish regeneration of neurons in the hippcampus.  It has been theorized that the success of anti-depressants is a result of boosting the growth of nerves in the hippocampus.
2. Genetics:  There have been many studies that have shown that the presence of particular variants of genes are highly correlated to depression and the depth of depression.  Simply put, there is a strong genetic connection with depression.
3. Stressful Events:  Stressful life events can cause depression.  Life events such as these also cause changes in the body chemistry and neurological responses.  Therefore even stress-caused depression which becomes chronic can cause similar neurological changes in the body as those for people for whom the primary cause was chemical or neurological.  
4. Medical Problems:  It is not uncommon for persons with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) to develop depression.  Below, are some other known associations between medical conditions and depression:  a) degenerative neurological conditions such as  MS, Parkinson's, Alzheimers disease and Huntington's disease; b) stroke; c) nutritional deficiencies --- especially B12;  d) endocrine disorders associated with the thyroid and adrenal glands; e) some autoimmune diseases such as lupus; f) some viruses and infections such as hepatitis and HIV; g) cancer; and h) erectile dysfunction in males.
5. Out of Whack Body Clock:  Disorders such as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and other 'body clock' issues can be related to depression.
6. Medications:  The following are some medications that may cause depression:  a) antibiotics, antimicrobials, antiviruls and antifungals --- examples include:  Zovirax, Seromycin, Myambutol, Levaquin, Flagyl, and Tetracycline --- all commonly prescribed drugs b) Cardiac Medications such as beta blockers (Propranolol, Metoprolol, and Tenormin) calcium channel blockers such as Calan, Isoptin, and so on. c) Hormones such as anabolic steroids, glucocorticoids such as prednisone, estrogens such as Premarin and Prempro and birth control pills d)Tranquilizers and Sedatives such as Solfoton, Seconol, Valium and Klonopin e) Other Medications such as Tagamet, Zantac, Accutane, L-Dopa, Reglan, Codeine, Percodan, Demerol and Morphine.

Statistics About Depression:

Over 70% of people who develop clinical depression of some kind are females although 79% of successful suicides are committed by males. 

A few final thoughts and insights on Depression.  Depression is not 'all in your head.'  You cannot get rid of depression by thinking happy thoughts or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.  It is a neurological, biochemical disease and should never result in the individual with depression being belittled or made fun of as though the afflicted person has any control of its onset.

A Few Things to Never Say to Someone With Depression:

• Stop your whining
• Its all in your mind
• Think happy thoughts and you will get better
• No one said life was fair
• Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
• Grow up
• Stop feeling sorry for yourself
• There are many people worse off than you
• Happiness is a choice (my favorite stupid thing people say)
• Just take some vitamins
• You should get off all those pills (NEVER SAY THIS TO SOMEONE WITH CLINICAL DEPRESSION --- IT MAY COST THEM THEIR LIVES)
• Do you have PMS?
• It builds character
• You can do anything you want to if you set your mind to it.
• Just don't think about it
• I know how you feel (another ridiculous one)
• Cheer Up
• Get some fresh air
• If you don't like feeling that way, change it!

Every couple of days I will release a new post.  Upcoming topics will include Treatments for Depression, Suicide and Prevention of Suicide, Myths about depression, Personal stories.

References:

1. http://www.health.harvard.edu
2. http://www.mayoclinic.org/
3. http://www.cdc.gov/
4. http://www.nimh.nih.gov
5. http://psychcentral.com
6. http://themighty.com
7. http://www.save.org

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