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- What is depression?
- Symptoms of depression
- Causes of depression
- Prevention of depression
- Risk factors for depression
- Complications of depression
- When to see a doctor about depression
- Diagnosis of depression
- Conventional treatment of depression
- Alternative/complementary treatment of depression
- Living with depression
- Caring for someone with depression
There are a number of risk factors which may trigger depression in some people:
- Family history - people who have family members with any type of depression tend to be more at risk of developing it themselves, due to a genetic link. This risk for depression is usually triggered by an external event (something stressful)
- Illness - certain illnesses, especially if they are serious and life threatening, are associated with a risk of triggering depression in some people. The illnesses most associated with depression are: AIDS/HIV, cancers, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and all forms of degenerative conditions (fibromyalgia, etc). Serious illness is a potential major stressful situation, which is a trigger for depression in some people
- Imbalanced neurotransmitters - if the brain chemistry is not normal and the neurotransmitters are imbalanced, this can trigger depression in some people. The neurotransmitters control many functions in the body, including mood, sleep patterns, appetite and other important functions which can be impaired when depression develops. The neurotransmitters which are most commonly involved in depression are: dopamine, GABA, noradrenaline (or norepinephrine), serotonin
- Low levels of serotonin - people who have depression tend to have much lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is important as it regulates mood, appetite and sleep. In fact, many anti-depressant medications work on keeping serotonin at a certain level, to reduce depression symptoms
- Long term use of medications - people who use certain medications over a long term, may be more likely to develop depression as the medications may cause depression as a side effect, or trigger it, due to biochemical changes in the brain. The medications most likely to trigger depression are: sedatives (sleeping pills), blood pressure medications and sometimes even the contraceptive pill (although this is quite uncommon)
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- Low self-esteem - people who have low self esteem may be a higher risk for depression because their self-talk tends to be more negative, self-critical and pessimistic, which only serves to make them feel even more unhappy about themselves, so they may be prone to become more depressed or have depressive episodes than people who feel okay about themselves. Researchers are not sure what the reason behind this is, but they think it could be that the constant negative thinking causes imbalances in the brain chemistry or other problems in the neurons or pathways in the brain which make it more likely that depression develops
- Low socioeconomic background - research suggests that people from a low socioeconomic background are more likely to develop depression, most likely due to the conditions of their existence (poor quality of life)
- Negative or pessimistic outlook - research shows that people who have a negative or pessimistic outlook on life, tend to be more depressed, or more prone to episodes of depression. Researchers are not sure what the reason behind this is, but they think it could be that the constant negative thinking causes imbalances in the brain chemistry or other problems in the neurons or pathways in the brain which make it more likely that depression develops
- Stressful events - stressful events, especially if they are major can precipitate depression, irrespective of whether the event is a positive one (marriage, new baby, new house, promotion at work) or a negative one (death of a loved one, marriage break up, separation, illness). Stressful events do not affect everyone in the same way, because everyone's brain chemistry, outlook on life and past history are different
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< 4: prevention 6: complications > Last reviewed: 24 January 2009 || Last updated: 21 March 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
