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| What Causes Depression? |
| Written by Charles Brown |
| Tuesday, 10 February 2009 13:34 |
|
Before treating bipolar disorder, it's helpful to find out its root cause. Because often just identifying the main cause of any disorder is a big step towards figuring out how to address it.
Before treating bipolar disorder, it's helpful to find out its root cause. Because often just identifying the main cause of any disorder is a big step towards figuring out how to address it. Inherited From Your Parents Or Grandparents In early '06, Rockefeller University researchers--with the help of an international team of scientists--identified a "depression gene" called p11. Evidently this gene controls serotonin transmission in your brain. And in case you didn't know, serotonin is the main 'mood chemical' in your brain; if you don't have enough floating around your brain, you will be prone to depression. But if your p11 gene causes your serotonin levels to be below normal, you won't necessarily get depression. You will, however, be more prone to be depressed but it's not a given. Because depression is caused by a complex mixture of psychological causes and physical causes at the same time. Let's take a fictional character "Joan" as an example: Her p11 gene is bad, but she's not depressed and never has been. But now - six months after the death of her husband, she still can't get out of bed until 2pm, her home has not been cleaned for many weeks, and she hasn't gotten out of the house to see friends or family. She's not in mourning but clinically depressed. (Joan will probably respond well to a "Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor" like "Prozac.") However, anti-depression medication will not bring back a deceased loved one, which was the event (a.k.a. the "precipitating event") that got the depression started. And this is why it's important to treat depression with therapy such as cognitive therapy, in addition to taking medicine. What's another option to deal with this type of depression? Self help. Reading a step-by-step plan on overcoming depression. (More later...) Anxiety From Stressful Event(s) As in the above example, sometimes a single stressful event can cause someone to get depression (even though their serotonin levels may be normal). And a series of stressful things can cause you to be clinically depressed... When I was just 16, I was so depressed that I tried to kill myself by driving my car as fast as it would go into trees lining a two-lane highway. (You will not believe I survived when you read my story.) But my suicide attempt was the culmination of a couple years of stress that included flunking school, getting in trouble with the law, girlfriend breaking up with me, and wrecking my car. Miraculously surviving my suicide attempt was a turning point in my life if there ever was one. I started looking for natural cures for depression because, for one thing, there was no such thing as depression medication like "Zoloft," and I just knew it was up to me to figure out how to outsmart depression. This was something that--at least in my case--could not be solved in a pill, no matter how "high-tech" the medical technology. It's Rarely Just One Stressful Event Usually, it's a series of events over time that gets people depressed. Take divorce, for example: Even though the word "divorce" describes a single event, it can lead to multiple highly stressful things happening to the divorcee all at once: - Loss of companionship - 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. - Loss of contact with your own children...no need to explain the huge stress this is. - Moving even though you didn't want to move. ...And so on--you get the general idea. Taught To 'Enjoy' Depression I know this sounds weird, but some people actually enjoy being depressed. Well, not exactly, but they really 'get into' the drama of emotional events. For these people, getting depressed is the equivalent of being extremely happy about something positive, only it's the opposite; they feel the significance of the negative event justifies long-term sadness. When in reality, they are embracing depression for two reasons: It enables them to escape daily responsibilities and it gets them the personal attention they crave from caretakers and friends (who would otherwise basically ignore them). Psychologists tell us one theory is that they are "taught" this behavior as toddlers: If your parents habitually left you alone to play, figuring "...she's happy, leave her alone," and paid attention to you only if you cried, they unknowingly taught you a life lesson: You will get personal attention only if you are in distress. 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 treat and cure your depression the right way. |
| Last Updated on Saturday, 21 February 2009 19:47 |
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