What Causes Depression?
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Before you can figure out how to treat or cure your depression, you need to pinpoint the causes of depression. Just identifying the cause of any problem is often half the battle. Because if you know what caused the problem, it's much easier to figure out how to fix it.
Genetics
In 2006, a team scientists from around the world - led by Rockefeller University researchers - found a "depression gene" and named it "p11." They found that this gene plays a role in serotonin transmission in your brain. Serotonin is the main neurotransmitter in your brain, you will be more apt to get depression if your serotonin levels are not right.
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.
An example would be someone (whose p11 gene is faulty) that does not get depressed until the death of his or her wife or husband. Now, something like this will get anyone depressed, but the difference is this person stays unusually depressed and doesn't recover; they're not in mourning but really depressed for many months on end. (These are the people who would probably respond best to a drug like "Prozac" or any other Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor type of anti-depression medication.)
It's important to note that "Prozac" or any other anti-depression medication would not bring back the loved one. This is why it is important to treat depression on at least two fronts: Address the physical part of depression with medication and the mental part with therapy such as cognitive therapy with a trained therapist.
But is there another option to treating depression? Yes there is - and for those that can manage it - it's called "self help." Like following a step-by-step plan on overcoming and curing depression (which you'll find out how to do this later...)
Stressful Event(s)
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...
I was so depressed at one time that I tried to kill myself by driving over 130 mph into a bunch of trees. (The fact that it was a "bunch of trees" instead of just one big tree is one reason I'm here with you now.) But when you read my story you will nevertheless be astounded I survived. I was only 16.
To survive something like that was an amazing series of incredibly lucky events--you've gotta read about it to really appreciate it. This marked a huge turning point in my life and I just knew I had to come up with a formula for beating depression ASAP.
It's Usually Multiple Stressors Over Time
The word, "divorce" may mean a single event, but it encompasses multiple highly stressful events all at once:
- Loss of a relationship: It was supposed to be "...to death do us part."
- Loss of financial security: "How am I going to pay off this debt?"
- Loss of a better standard of living... The house and car is downsized.
- Daily contact with your kids is no more.
- Moving even though you didn't want to move.
... There are probably other things, but you get the idea.
Taught To 'Enjoy' Depression
It sounds counter-intuitive, but for some people depression feels 'right' to them...sort of. They thrive on the drama of big emotional events. It's like they thrive off the negativity like most other people thrive of being extremely happy. They feel that the importance of an event justifies being sad for a long time, so they do their best to be what they consider 'appropriately sad.'
The reasons for this 'depression response' are two-fold: It protects them from having to deal with responsibilities of everyday life, and/or it gets them attention they wouldn't otherwise get from people around them.
Psychologists tell us one theory is that they are "taught" this behavior as toddlers:
If your parents rarely paid attention to you unless you cried, you learned that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," as the old saying goes; as long as you were in distress, people paid attention to you and comforted you.
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 cure your depression the right way.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
Word Count: 790
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