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What Causes Clinical Depression?

Clinical depression is a psychological and emotional condition affecting millions of people around the world. Although the condition is caused by a variety of factors, finding an effective treatment to manage your depression is essential in restoring emotional stability in your life.

  1. Definition of Clinical Depression

    • Clinical depression is a severe emotional and psychological condition that causes a wide variety of symptoms. Patients who experience clinical depression may suffer from an emotional imbalance of the brain, or an imbalance of key hormones, although scientists are still working to determine the medical cause of depression. The condition is classified under the DSM-IV, or Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

    Significance

    • Unfortunately, patients who suffer from clinical depression have a high mortality rate, due to the severity of symptoms experienced. On average, ten to fifteen percent of patients who suffer from depression commit suicide over the duration of their condition. In addition, patients admitted to nursing homes are at a much higher risk for suicidal tendencies in the first year of their admittance. In addition, between ten and twenty percent of individuals experience some form of depression in their lifetime.

    Symptoms of Clinical Depression

    • Patients who suffer from clinical depression often experience depressed mood, fatigue, psychomotor agitation, restlessness, loss of interest in normal activities, irritability, withdrawal, poor self-image, difficulty concentrating, excessive guilt, poor memory, difficulty making decisions, anxiety, and physiological or chronic pain. Patients may also suffer from suicidal ideation or attempts at suicide. Although patients generally experience only several of these symptoms, the severity of the patient's condition often determines how many symptoms are experienced.

    Physical Causes

    • Clinical depression is caused by a wide variety of factors, but the condition is often a symptom of additional medical disorders. These conditions include migraine headaches, impaired synthesis of neurotransmitters, chronic diseases or disorders, peptic ulcer disease, insomnia, myocardial infarction, or cancer. Patients who suffer from one of the above conditions is more likely to experience symptoms of clinical depression as well.

    Emotional and Lifestyle Causes

    • In addition to physical and medical conditions, clinical depression may also be caused by lifestyle and emotional factors. These causes include drastic transition in one's life (such as a recent move or job relocation), loss of a loved one, advancing age, retirement, behavioral disorders (such as ADHD, ADD, or hyperactivity), menopause, or a loss of peers or social networks. In addition, patients who suffer from alcoholism or substance abuse have a much higher risk of experiencing symptoms of clinical depression.

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