Why do i suffer from depression

Mono can drain a person's energy. When health conditions are diagnosed and treated by a doctor, the depression-like symptoms usually disappear. Getting enough sleep and regular exercise often has a positive effect on neurotransmitter activity and mood. Daylight affects how the brain produces melatonin and serotonin. These neurotransmitters help regulate a person's sleep—wake cycles, energy, and mood. When there is less daylight, the brain produces more melatonin.

When there is more daylight, the brain makes more serotonin. Shorter days and longer hours of darkness in fall and winter may lead the body to have more melatonin and less serotonin.

This imbalance is what creates the conditions for depression in some people — a condition known as seasonal affective disorder SAD. Exposure to light can help improve mood for people affected by SAD.

The death of a family member, friend, or pet sometimes goes beyond normal grief and leads to depression. Other difficult life events — such as when parents divorce, separate, or remarry — can trigger depression. Whether or not difficult life situations lead to depression can depend a lot on how well a person is able to cope, stay positive, and receive support.

For some people, a negative, stressful, or unhappy family atmosphere can lead to depression. Other high-stress living situations — such as poverty, homelessness, or violence — can contribute, too. Dealing with bullying , harassment, or peer pressure leaves some people feeling isolated, victimized, or insecure. Situations like these don't necessarily lead to depression, but facing them without relief or support can make it easier to become depressed.

Life is full of ups and downs. Stress, hassles, and setbacks happen but hopefully not too often. How we react to life's struggles matters a lot. A person's outlook can contribute to depression — or it can help guard against it. Research shows that a positive outlook acts as a protection against depression, even for people who have the genes, brain chemistry, or life situations that put them at risk for developing it.

Levey et al. Genetic associations with suicide attempt severity and genetic overlap with major depression. Translational Psychiatry The molecular neurobiology of chronic pain-induced depression. Cell and Tissue Research. Jaracz J. Overlapping chronic pain and depression: Pathophysiology and management.

Understanding Depression. October Exploring comorbidity within mental disorders among a Danish national population.

JAMA Psychiatry. The link between thyroid function and depression. Journal of Thyroid Research. Childhood trauma and tts relation to chronic depression in adulthood.

Depress Res Treat. Childhood trauma history is linked to abnormal brain connectivity in major depression. The link between childhood trauma and depression: Insights from HPA axis studies in humans. Data Briefs - Number - December Household Population, December cdc.

Poverty and common mental disorders in low and middle income countries: A systematic review. Soc Sci Med. Money and mental illness: A study of the relationship between poverty and serious psychological problems. Community Ment Health J. Ali NA, Khoja A.

Growing evidence for the impact of air pollution on depression. Ochsner Journal. Big Five aspects of personality interact to predict depression. Journal of Personality. Resilient people have lessons to offer, and USC researchers are listening. Published July 10, Correlation between cortisol level and serotonin uptake in patients with chronic stress and depression. Intergenerational continuity in high-conflict family environments: Investigating a mediating depressive pathway.

Dev Psychol. Guilt in bereavement: Its relationship with complicated grief and depression. International Journal of Psychology. Complicated grief as a disorder distinct from bereavement-related depression and anxiety: a replication study.

The American journal of psychiatry. Neural mechanisms of grief regulation. Biol Psychiatry. Boelen PA, van den Bout J. Complicated grief, depression, and anxiety as distinct postloss syndromes: a confirmatory factor analysis study.

A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. Int J Adolesc Youth. Psychosocial well-being and social media engagement: The mediating roles of social comparison orientation and fear of missing out.

New Media Soc. Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing—A study of compulsive use, fear of missing out, fatigue, anxiety and depression. International Journal of Information Management. The causal effects of adolescent school bullying victimisation on later life outcomes. Published March Roles of cyberbullying, sleep, and physical activity in mediating the effects of social media use on mental health and wellbeing among young people in England: a secondary analysis of longitudinal data.

August Real-world data and the patient perspective: the PROmise of social media? BMC Medicine. Affective psychosis following Accutane isotretinoin treatment. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. Beta-blocker therapy and symptoms of depression, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction. Corticosteroids, depression and the role of serotonin. Rev Neurosci.

Activation of central nervous system inflammatory pathways by interferon-alpha: relationship to monoamines and depression. Statins use and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. Witt-Doerring J, Mathew S. Antidepressants and Suicidality—Controversies and Possible Mechanisms. Neurobiology of Depression. Major depression and comorbid substance use disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry.

Winter, G. Gut microbiome and depression: what we know and what we need to know. Reviews in the Neurosciences. Public Health. Dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in middle age. Br J Psychiatry. Glob Adv Health Med. Ruusunen A. Kuopio: The University of Eastern Finland; Nature Human Behaviour. For example, if you went through a divorce, were diagnosed with a serious medical condition, or lost your job, the stress could prompt you to start drinking more, which in turn could cause you to withdraw from family and friends.

Those factors combined could then trigger depression. Loneliness and isolation. Not only can lack of social support heighten your risk, but having depression can cause you to withdraw from others, exacerbating feelings of isolation. Having close friends or family to talk to can help you maintain perspective on your issues and avoid having to deal with problems alone.

Marital or relationship problems. While a network of strong and supportive relationships can be crucial to good mental health, troubled, unhappy, or abusive relationships can have the opposite effect and increase your risk for depression. Recent stressful life experiences. Major life changes, such as a bereavement, divorce, unemployment , or financial problems can often bring overwhelming levels of stress and increase your risk of developing depression.

Chronic illness or pain. Unmanaged pain or being diagnosed with a serious illness , such as cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, can trigger feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Family history of depression.

Your lifestyle choices, relationships, and coping skills matter just as much as genetics. Whether your personality traits are inherited from your parents or the result of life experiences, they can impact your risk of depression. For example, you may be at a greater risk if you tend to worry excessively , have a negative outlook on life, are highly self-critical, or suffer from low self-esteem. Early childhood trauma or abuse. Early life stresses such as childhood trauma, abuse, or bullying can make you more susceptible to a number of future health conditions, including depression.

Alcohol or drug abuse. Substance abuse can often co-occur with depression. Many people use alcohol or drugs as a means of self-medicating their moods or cope with stress or difficult emotions. If you are already at risk, abusing alcohol or drugs may push you over the edge.

There is also evidence that those who abuse opioid painkillers are at greater risk for depression. Understanding the underlying cause of your depression may help you overcome the problem. For example, if you are feeling depressed because of a dead-end job, the best treatment might be finding a more satisfying career rather than simply taking an antidepressant.

If you are new to an area and feeling lonely and sad, finding new friends will probably give you more of a mood boost than going to therapy. In such cases, the depression is remedied by changing the situation. But there are many things you can do to lift and stabilize your mood. The key is to start with a few small goals and slowly build from there, trying to do a little more each day. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there by making positive choices for yourself. Reach out to other people.

The simple act of talking to someone face-to-face about how you feel can be an enormous help. Get moving. But regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication in countering the symptoms of depression. Take a short walk or put some music on and dance around. Start with small activities and build up from there.

Eat a mood boosting diet. Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your mood, such as caffeine, alcohol, trans fats, sugar and refined carbs.

And increase mood-enhancing nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids. Find ways to engage again with the world. Spend some time in nature, care for a pet, volunteer , pick up a hobby you used to enjoy or take up a new one. There are many effective treatments for depression, including:.

Consulting a therapist can provide you tools to treat depression from a variety of angles and motivate you to take the action necessary.

Therapy can also offer you the skills and insight to prevent the problem from coming back. Authors: Melinda Smith, M. Belmaker, R. Major Depressive Disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 1 , 55—