We often hear people saying that they feel depressed. Certain events can make you feel very sad. Having a bad day may spoil your mood. Having a fight with someone can make you anxious. Stress can make you feel depressed. However, in saying that you feel depressed equivalent to actually being depressed? In most cases, it may not be. But if that feeling lingers on for a very long time, you might be experiencing depression.
Depression can happen to anyone. The person who seems lively and happy all the time can also get depressed, while someone who is seemingly serious may not actually be depressed. It is important to understand that appearances are deceptive, you cannot tell if someone is depressed just by their looks. But you can be vigilant and mindful in making sure if your doubt is correct.
To treat depression, one needs to understand that it is an actual illness. It’s not a ‘phase’ that the person suffering can ‘get over’. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain that needs proper medical attention and treatment. So when a person tells you that they are depressed, do not dismiss it by saying that they’ll feel okay and everything will be alright soon. The best way to help someone who is depressed is to listen to them and be there for them.
You may wonder, what can cause the great depression? How does a human being who was feeling okay all this while, feel depressed for some period of time? Well, since depression is such a complex disease, there’s no specific thing that can cause it. But there are some common reasons why depression can occur. While feeling sad is a normal human emotion, persisting feelings of sadness may be an indication of depression. It can recur from time to time, causing hindrance in a person’s daily life.
So, here some common causes of the Great Depression:
Major Life Events:
Every human being reacts to the happenings around them differently. While sad events tend to make people feel depressed, some seemingly happy events can also trigger a person negatively. Events like getting married, starting a new job, moving away from home, or having kids can impact a person tremendously. Certain aspects of these events can trigger negative emotions in a person, and that can cause depression.
Family History:
People from a family having a history of mental health issues tend to be prone to depression. This could be because of the environment they grow up in, the kind of activities they experience because of living with people with mental health issues, or simply because of observing these things closing and understanding them deeply. It can be genetic and a variety of genetic factors can result in depression, rather than just one gene contributing to the illness.
Being Sick:
Fighting illnesses or any other health complications can also cause depression. Sometimes, when you’re ill, it hinders certain activities. These activities could be things you enjoy doing or just regular day to day activities. This inability to do things can affect a person greatly, making them sad or eventually depressed. For some diseases, depression can be a by-product of the disease.
Strong Medication:
Medicines have an impact on the way your body functions. Medications for one disease can affect several parts of your body, including your brain, even if it may seem like there is no connection between the disease and your brain. After all, the brain controls the entire body. Some medications can cause chemical reactions in your brain that can throw off the chemical balance in your brain. This can trigger the onset of depression.
Loss of a Loved One:
This is one of the most common causes of depression. When you are so close to a person and he or she becomes an integral part of your life, their presence makes a great difference in your life. The loss of such a loved one can make you sad for a very long time and can trigger depression. The death of a close person can be difficult to cope with. The build of such feelings can be the cause of the great depression.
Trauma:
Trauma can be caused by many incidents in life. A tragic accident, violence at home, mistreatment by peers, or incidents like sexual or physical abuse are some reasons for depression. All of the above incidents can be traumatic experiences and can push you towards depression.
Substance Abuse:
Substance abuse is also a common cause of the great depression. Almost 30% of people who have substance abuse problems are diagnosed with clinical depression. Taking substances causes reactions in your brain that can cause a chemical imbalance. People who use substances to deal with stressful events can face depression because they do not analyze the root cause of their stressed feeling.
Summary:
If you are someone who is feeling depressed or have noticed symptoms of depression in yourself or someone else, please seek professional help to overcome it.
