Why Am I Depressed?

Other reasons for feeling depressed may include heredity factors, hormonal imbalance after pregnancy, and not enough sunlight in winter months.

Some experts now believe that what causes depression goes beyond these currently accepted causes. Researchers have a better understanding of how the brain responds and encodes information. Other researchers have found that there is no overlap between stress genes and depressive genes.

This means that standard drug treatments are often aimed at the wrong target. It explains why people being medically treated seldom get relief. Antidepressants generally address the stress connection and may even have side effects that make depression worse.

Some studies even show that the control group receiving sugar pills fared better than the group taking medication. It appears that 75% of the positive effects of taking drugs have been duplicated by those taking the placebo.

What Causes Depression?

1. An earlier outside cause - repeated, unpredictable negative events can be very stressful, especially when we feel powerless. For example, rats exposed to unavoidable random shocks give up, act lethargic and helpless, and eventually die.
2. How you responded to that cause - when you paint everything as dark, and accept your first reaction of sadness or hopelessness as 'your final answer', it reinforces the conclusion that "I feel depressed".

   This causes your brain to create neural pathways that accommodate this type of response. Not only does your brain deepen and strengthen the pathway associated with feeling depressed every time you use it, but it takes the building blocks from other areas that aren't being used much. This process can happen quite quickly.

3. Your depressive responses become a habit - Once the neural pathways are fixed you have a depression habit, much like an addiction, at the brain level. An outside cause, or trigger, is no longer needed to elicit the "I feel depressed" response. You may even feel down at happy events. When you ask yourself, "Why am I depressed?", you may have no obvious explanation. Feeling depressed fuels more depressed feelings.

American psychiatrist David Viscott explains the emotional spiral towards depression like this:

Pain in the present is experienced as hurt.
Pain in the past is remembered as anger.
Pain in the future is perceived as anxiety.
Unexpressed anger, redirected against yourself and held within is called guilt.
The depletion of energy that occurs when anger is redirected inward creates depression.

When you realize "I feel depressed", notice if you experience the following signals of depression. You may have trouble sleeping, have no interest in things, have low energy, guilt, have trouble concentrating, and have no appetite. Your physical motor skills and balance may be 'off'. You may even feel suicidal.

If you experience four or more of these indicators of feeling depressed for more than a a week or two, you may want to take steps to break the cycle. It may be a good idea to consult a health professional to rule out a medical condition. If your symptoms are severe, and/or you are seriously considering suicide, consult a health professional immediately.