Causes of Depression

Depression is defined by a condition where mood levels are low and when there is a dislike for any kind of activity. A person who is depressed is defined as someone who experiences bouts of sadness, hopelessness and helplessness. In conventional dialogue, feeling depressed is often akin to being in a state of sadness; although both clinical and non clinical depression may also refer to an accumulation of more than just one single emotion.

There are no confirmed statistics on severe depression sufferers, although it is estimated that in The United States alone, there are about 12 million cases detected. Depression is immune to race, culture and social classes, it can affect anyone at any age, although under more normal circumstances, this disorder is set in motion during early adulthood. Hospital data indicates that women suffer more from disorder than their male counterparts, although this could be due to the fact that men are less likely to get diagnosed and treatment. There are several categories and symptoms of depression, and they fluctuate in intensity.

One category is slight depression, which can be caused by heartbreak, loss of employment, divorce, loss of a family member or friend and job anxiety. Slight depression is usually seen as feeling sad, having sleeping problems, easily annoyed, irritable and feeling drained. In most cases, slight depression can be reversed as it is a short term condition. Those with cases of slight depression usually get better after seeking supportive therapy or prescribed with mild relaxants.

Another category is for those who may develop mild depression, which can start abruptly for no particular cause. People who suffer this condition may suddenly experience tiredness, restlessness, loneliness and have a hard time falling asleep. In many instances, those who have mild depression lose their sexual appetites, preferring to spend time in solitary. Mild depression does not normally deter from work being completed, but little or no satisfaction is derived from it. Comparatively, bouts of mild depression last much longer than slight depression, and can be solved with therapy, social support and also a lifestyle overhaul.

The most serious category is severe depression. One frequent indication of this type of disorder is a tendency to entertain ideas of suicide, with many sufferers also resorting to cutting themselves intentionally. A person suffering from severe depression is constantly enveloped in sadness, cries a lot for no particular reason, cannot sleep and has real sleeping problems, find it difficult to focus, experience bouts of extreme fatigue, feel absolutely worthless, get constant headaches and even other physical pains. Mild and severe depression is very complex, and studies are still ongoing on how to properly diagnose and treat it. No one is really sure why severe depression sets in. Although the exact causes are unknown, there are a few risk factors that may activate or increase the danger of severe depression.

Such factors may include dysphoria, (feeling ‘down in the dumps’) unrelenting sadness, insomnia, no interest in any activities, drastic weight loss or gain, irritability, loss of energy and focus, speech repetitions, unexplained physical pains, recurrent feelings of committing suicide, compulsive-obsessive disorders, (cleaning the house over and over again or incessant hair-combing) incapable to suppress over spending and eating, bulimia and anorexia.