Understanding Depression
First of all, depression is NOT a weakness. Friends and family who keep saying "Snap out of it; You can if you want to", and any other "encouraging" phrases, have no idea what depression is, and what you're going through.
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Actually, you’re brilliant in most areas of your life, so why are you sometimes stuck in other areas? The answer is because it’s not a matter of intelligence. It’s because our mind and psyche is so deep and vast, that we need someone to help us figure out ourselves. This will enable you to find solutions that work for you on an individual basis, and help you to discover the true potential of your life, so everyday can be a celebration, and feel like a real ‘breath of fresh air.’
What causes depression?
We don’t know exactly what causes depression. Although we know that serotonin and norepinephrine are hormones closely related to mood regulation, depression is not simply the result of a chemical imbalance, because you have not enough of a particular brain chemical.
A number of things are often linked to the development of depression. It’s usually a result of a combination of recent events and other longer term or personal factors, rather than one immediate issue or event.
Nature & Nurture
Research suggests that biology AND life circumstances together, play a role in the development of depression. The same way we all have our physical limitations, our emotional capacity, how much stress we can support, is also genetically programmed. When this amount is exceeded by life circumstances, we become depressed.
Continuing difficulties, like long-term unemployment, living in an abusive or uncaring relationship, long term isolation or loneliness, prolonged stress is more likely to trigger depression than recent life stresses.
For more severe depression, Psychotherapy may not be effective enough, and antidepressants – that have an effect on your brain’s chemical transmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine and noradrenaline), which relay messages between brain cells – might be prescribed by a psychopharmacologist.