Why Do People Develop Depression?

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Where does it come from? How do I manage it?

It’s likely there are several different causes for why people develop depression. It may be a combination of factors for some people and no obvious trigger for others.

Causes

Going through difficult experiences in childhood research shows can make you more vulnerable to experiencing depression later in your life. Those experiences include physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect, losing someone close to you, traumatic events, living in an unsettling family situation. These kinds of experiences affect our self-esteem and how we learn to cope with difficult emotions and stressful situations. Later in life this can make you feel less able to cope with difficult experiences and lead to depression.

Life events that are unwelcomed, stressful or traumatic like losing a job, having financial problems, relationship problems, losing a relationship, grief, major life changes like changing jobs or moving or getting married, being physically or sexually assaulted, being bullied or abused, experiencing racism all can trigger depression.

Certain patterns of thinking are more likely to lead to depression like blaming ourselves for negative events or dwelling over and over about a negative event.

How Other Health Concerns Relate to Depression

Coping with the symptoms of another mental health problem can trigger depression like anxiety, PTDS, eating problems.

Many health problems can be difficult to manage and affect our moods. Having poor physical health can increase our risk of developing depression.

Is Depression Genetic?

If you have a close family member with depression you are more likely to experience it yourself. Our biology may cause depression or it could be due to having learned certain behaviors and ways of coping as we grow up. It’s likely that both our genes and the environment we grow up in affect whether we develop depression or not.

Using alcohol and recreational drugs can contribute. We may start out to use substances to feel better but in the long run they can make us feel worse.

We are more vulnerable if we struggle with sleeping, being physically active and consuming a healthy diet.

Depression can be a side effect of many medications. It’s important to talk with your doctor if you suspect this something you are experiencing and see if an alternative medication is available.

There are many factors that can cause depression to develop. And there are ways to treat it. Depression Therapy is a way to learn new ways of coping and be supported in a caring way as you heal!

What has contributed to your depression?
Contact Me today to begin your healing!

JD’s Midlife Tools For Living Practices, Holland, MI
Offering Heartfelt care, Compassion and Coping Tools