depression causes
Depression causes can be varied. Young children and teens can get depression but it can occur at other ages also. Depression is more common in women than in men, but men do get depression too. Loss of a loved one, stress and hormonal changes, or traumatic events may trigger depression at any age.
There can be many depression causes. There are many reasons why a person may become depressed:
- Hormonal factors - menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum period, perimenopause, and menopause
- Stress - at work and home, single parenthood, caring for children and for aging parents
- Family history - inherited (it´s in your genes); it can also occur in people with no family history
- Medical illness - stroke, heart attack, cancer
- Chemical imbalance - changes in the brain chemistry
- Genes - some types of depression tend to run in families. Genes are the "blueprints" for who we are, and we inherit them from our parents. Scientists are looking for the specific genes that may be involved in depression.
- Brain chemistry and structure - when chemicals in the brain are not at the right levels, depression can occur. These chemicals, called neurotransmitters, help cells in the brain communicate with each other. By looking at pictures of the brain, scientists can also see that the structure of the brain in people who have depression looks different than in people who do not have depression. Scientists are working to figure out why these differences occur.
- Environmental and psychological factors - trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, and other stressors can trigger depression. Scientists are working to figure out why the same or similar experiences depression causes in some people but not in others . They are also studying why some people recover quickly from depression causes and others do not.