The Causes of Depression

Although research is continuing to be done, it is not fully known what causes clinical depression. There are many theories that researches have put together to give you a basis of how depression starts such as genetic factors, environmental influences, and events that happen through your life. However, clinical depression is most often caused by more than just one factor. For example, if someone in your immediate family suffer from depression you are more likely to suffer from it yourself, and if you add in the stress from a death of a loved one, or a divorce, then you are at even a greater risk of suffering from depression.

Each person's causes are different. Often what will affect one person one way may not affect a second person the same way. Depression may also strike when you least experience it. For example, you may have lost your job once in your life and been perfectly fine with it and started to seek another job without a second thought, but if you lose your job a second time you may start to have symptoms of depression. Generally, there are many different causes of depression that are grouped into categories:

  • Biological causes

  • Genetic causes

  • Environmental causes

  • Psychological causes

  • Medical illness

Besides your overall causes of depression, there are also risk factors that need to be taken into consideration. Almost everyone is at risk for developing depression as there is no one person who is immune from it. However there are certain factors that can put you more at risk than another. Women for example are high on the list for risk of developing depression. Almost 25% of women compared to the 12% of men will experience a serious depression at least once in their life. This may be that women tend to seek treatment for it more than men, or that men may be less willing to accept that they have symptoms of depression. Women also have the risk factor of hormones that can cause depression, as can the stress that they feel, since generally they are under more stress than men for the most part.

Marriage is also a risk factor for depression, as it has been shown that people who are unhappily married, separated, or divorced have a higher rate of depression then singles or happily married. Age also plays a part in depression. While most depression happens between 20 and 50, elderly people are at a higher risk for depression and often don't have the financial means necessary to treat their depression.

Genetics play a large part in clinical depression. If your mother, father or siblings have had depression there is a good chance that you may develop it as well, if the risk factors are there. Finally, you are more at risk if you have ever had major depression. Approximately one half of people who have developed depression in their life will develop it again.