Unfortunately, depression can not be referred to any factor, except to the relationship of several predisposing conditions.These in their turn, can lead to disease, which brings into life complete chaos. To determine a cause of this disease is the same like asking a question about chicken and an egg.
Inheritance
The genetics can play a certain part. If one member of the family has already had suicidal tendencies or depression, it may increase the chances to fall ill. Recently scientists have determined genetic traits, which indicate the predisposition to manic-depressive psychosis. Moreover, the researches have shown that if one of the identical twins is suffering from depression, in 70% of cases another twin can also have a depression.
There is a question: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”. It is referred to the fact, that if one member of the family is suffering from depression, most probably just domestic surroundings generates depressed atmosphere. You see, if mother or father is low-spirited, then you will have a difficult situation at home, sometimes even unbearable. If you do not have any places to go, you will have a feeling of trap. In such circumstances it is quite simply to go mad.
Psychological factors
The feelings of isolation may be both reasons and signs which predispose person to depression. A lot of specialists point to early parents bereavement or to their aversion regarding child as factors which has an influence on depression development. The neurologists are examining the influence of early emotional bereavements on the brain. It may be parents’ bereavement, child abandonment or inhuman treatment with him.
The interrelation between these early traumatic events and real changes in brain’s neurophysiology are evident. The stress, which was induced by such traumas, has changed neutral pathways, that’s why, following losses, reminding person of outwear sorrow (even unimportant) may cause real depression.
Exogenous stress factors.
The loss of work, conflict interrelations, retirement, natural disasters, problems with a law, as well as death in the family should be considered as factors which cause depression. Besides, exogenous stress factor may be a physical state of the person. Oversupply of certain hormones, such cortisol, which act as a reaction on stressful situation, can cause disbalance in brain and lead to depression.
One ought to bear in mind that depression can be a reason of damage relations, financial failures – a great number of things which can lead to depression.
Why by some people such stressful factors mobilize mental and physical strengths, whereas by others they cause depression? Perhaps, the possibility to transmit a stress is also genetically predetermined. Perhaps, everything depends on its seriousness.
A lingering chronic disease can also be a stressful factor leading to depression. On the 17th January in 1996 «The New York Times» has published an article, where it was said that depression can accompany such illnesses like paralysis, infarction or cancer, as well as it may be its result. The people who has transmitted such diseases are excepted to be
upset, alarmed and shocked, but if these feelings are getting everywhere and they disturb activities of daily living, then you should pay attention to them and start treatment. If depression attends life threatening illnesses, it may prevent from recovery.
Chemical equilibrium disturbance in brain.
First, the fact, that depression arises in certain families, shows that some people have genetic predisposition to such disturbances. Second, the fact that depression has been successfully cured with medications, which has an influence on chemical processes in brain, as well as a fact that many people fall into depression without any visible causes, show that this disease may be caused by chemical disbalance in brain. Indeed, like by a question about egg and chicken, we do not know if this balance disturbance is a cause of pessimistic mood or these events affect and disturb its normal secretion and mediators activity (chemical impulse transmitters between cells) inside brain.
Moreover, the symptoms of some physical diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, kidney diseases and others, may include depressed feelings. By some people depression may be caused like a result of some medication, such as contraceptives, heart medications and others medicines, which reduce pressure (for example beta-blocker and calcium–channel blocker), halcion, ativan and other soporifics, cortisone and other steroids, antibiotics.
Moreover, the alcohol abuse and other things may promote depression, of course by its misuse. For example, people suffering from mild form of depression, may feel better in 20-30 minutes after taking some alcohol. But afterwards depression becomes only stronger.
The women can feel depression symptoms and recurrent depressive positions as a result of premenstrual syndrome.
The hormone imbalance, which are secreted by endocrine glands (such as thyroid gland, parathyroid gland and adrenal gland) may also cause depression symptoms. In these cases, when person corrects hormone imbalance – for example when his thyroid gland produces insufficient thyroxin and he starts taking synthetic hormone, – then symptoms are usually disappeared.
There are a number of physiological causes of depression, that is why at once after the first symptoms you should attend sound medical judgment. The precise diagnosis must exclude any other physiological reasons and determine further treatment.
Tags: alcohol, antibiotics, ativan, cortisol, cortisone, diabetes, endocrine profile, halcion, hormone imbalance, hypoglycemia, kidney diseases, neurophysiology, Parkinson's disease, psychosis, soporifics, steroids, stress, suicidal