Depression is very common. Between 5 and 10 per cent of the population are suffering from the illness to some extent at any one time. Over a lifetime you have a 20 per cent, or one in five, chance of having an period of depression.. Men and women are evenly affected. If we say that getting weaker is a sign of weakness, then it is not true. There are no particular ‘personality types’ that are more at risk than others. Some risk factors have been recognized; these include inherited (genetic) factors, such as having parents or grandparents who have suffered from depression and non-genetic factors such as the death of a parent when you were young.
Causes Of Depression
• Stressful life events like Losing a job or a relationship ending, may trigger an incident of depression.
• Causes of depression are not fully known. people at risk through Genes or early life experiences may make some.
• Some physical illnesses depression can be triggered, drug treatments and recreational drugs.
• In many people it is often impracticable to identify a ’cause’ and this can be distressing for people who want to understand the reasons why they are ill. However depression, like any illness, can strike for no apparent reason.
• How ‘hard’ the brain is functioning modern brain scans that can look at have shown that some areas of the brain (such as at the front) are not working as well as normal.
• When a person is depressed it is clear that there are definite changes in the way the brain works:
• In the brain various chemical systems may not be functioning properly including one known as the serotonin or 5-HT system.
• Levels of stress hormones are higher than normal depressed patients have.
• To reverse these changes antidepressants may help.
