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Physical Causes of Depression

While the stigma attached to depression has mostly been removed, there is still a great deal of ignorance about the disorder. Many people can tell you the symptoms of depression, but few can list the possible causes, especially the physical ones. As with any mental condition, there are causes that are physical, as well as psychological, and each possibility must be examined.

  1. Trauma and Stress

    • One of the most common physical causes of depression is undergoing stress. Physical trauma can also cause depression. This is a common occurrence among soldiers during wartime and police officers after violent incidents, and psychologists watch for the signs of depression after these experiences. However, more mundane incidents such as car wrecks can contribute to depression.

    Physical Conditions

    • Often contracting a physical ailment or condition can cause depression. Diseases such as AIDS can make a person feel physically weak, and that lack of strength can chip away at a person's reserve and lead to depression. This often becomes a downward spiral because depression makes the immune system weaker, which makes it even harder for the person to fight off or endure the ailment.

    Medication

    • Medication that is taken to heal the body can have the unanticipated side effect of causing depression. This is often hard to determine, however, because the sickness itself has to be ruled out as the cause of the depression or the medication has to be stopped to see if the depression ends once the medication is stopped.

    Inheritance

    • Though depression as a condition cannot be inherited completely, a susceptibility to depression does have some genetic ties. Family members who develop depression often have slightly different genetics than those who do not. However, just because a person has a genetic susceptibility toward depression doesn't guarantee he will contract the condition.

    Neurotransmitters

    • Neurotransmitters are chemicals that allow for communication within the body and can greatly effect a person's mood and emotions. It's common for people who suffer from depression to see lower than average amounts of seratonin and norepinephrine, two major neurotransmitters. While it can't be said whether depression causes this, most depression medications attempt to restore the balance in these neurotransmitters, and thus restore the balance to the patient's mood and emotions.

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