Let there be no doubt that depression is a serious mental illness that requires months and sometimes years of treatment on the path to a cure.  Every year, millions of Americans feel the symptoms of depression.  To make things worse it is estimated that only a third of those who suffer the disease will ever seek treatment.  Many Americans don’t want to be considered crazy, so because depression is considered a mental affliction they avoid diagnosis.  They would rather deal with the problem on their own than risk being stereotyped should they seek assistance.  Depression is more common-place than you might think and it will not go away on its own. We will discuss more about causes of depression here.

Why do people get depression?  The answer can get very complicated because you have to take many factors into consideration.  There are so many things factored into the cause of this disease.  Let’s examine some of the most notorious.  Many medical professionals believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.  This may be the case, but what causes that imbalance?  The causes can be genetic, mental or even come from the environment.  There are those inflicted that never really determine what spurned their depression.  Many become depressed when they are diagnosed with a very serious medical condition.  This is especially the case if the diagnosis presents the possibility of death or impairment.

Another cause of depression can be the emotional pain felt after losing a loved one.  In many cases the loss can be very traumatic.  Some depression is brought on after years of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.  In addition, many cases of depression are given birth by substance abuse, rather it be drugs or alcohol.  People’s mental states are fragile.  If exposed to the wrong pressures, depression can result.  Depression is often passed along in the DNA.  Those afflicted have a family history of the disease.  There are even some prescribed medications that can bring on depression.  It has been clinically proven that some high blood pressure medication can be the causes of depression. 

Depression can result from stress.  Stress can derive from many different areas in our life.  Some of that stress can even be related to positive events in our lives such as promotions, graduation or moving into a new house.  People tend to stress when they face the unknown, like a new job or new financial obligations.  In addition, many are stressed from personal conflicts with their loved ones, associates in employment or friends.  There are a great number of people who are stressed from simply trying to perform their jobs to satisfaction and trying to support their families from week to week.  Doctors first look for cause when seeking a treatment for depression.  Seek medical help if you or a loved one suffer from depression.