Discover What Really Causes Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
Depression causes are not well known. However, as with many mental disorders, many factors are suspected in its development. The list is undoubtedly long, but we have chosen the top eight (8) major causes of depression that make so many people to be miserable in the world today.
1) Life Events – any physical, financial or emotional situation that you cannot overcome can lead to the development of a major depressive disorder. For instance, people suffering with chronic physical diseases such as cancer and stroke are more prone to be depressed. Financial hardship is among the top causes of depression these days. Getting laid off or being unemployed can cause a lot of anxieties and distresses in family, leading one or some of the members to be depressed. Another common factor is divorce or relationship breakdown. Having your heart broken by a loved one can darken your horizon so much to the point that you start having suicidal thoughts.
2) Metabolic Disorders or Physical Problems – if you are suffering from certain metabolic problems such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), anemia, mononucleosis, diabetes, and cancer you may experience, from times to times, sadness and discouragement, which often lead to clinical depression. The risk for you to have a depressive disorder is even higher if you don’t feel loved and appreciated. In addition to these serious diseases, menopause can also cause a woman to suffer from mood swings. In fact, depression is one of common menopausal symptoms experienced by women. Although rare, if you have a very poor metabolism you will tend to get irritated and depressed more often than other people.
3) Hurtful or Bad Experiences – people who had past experience in life tend to suffer from major depression. For instance, women who were raped or sexually abused tend to be sad and depressed when thinking of the sorrowful moments. In addition, children who feel unloved at home or who suffered from child abuse often known to be depressed as early as in their teenage life. During the episodes of the depression, these teenagers can behave badly, take drugs, and engage in immorality or drunkenness. Do not rush to condemn or reject them; this can worsen the situation by causing them to now have suicidal thoughts. Some even end their lives. Parents and the society need to be supportive and comprehensive toward them to prevent this catastrophe.
4) Seasonal Changes – weather is one of the common causes of depression for some people in certain geographic areas. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects mostly women, children and adolescents. The disease is especially common in geographic areas where winter lasts for 6 months or more. If you suffer from SAD, you will experience recurrent episodes of depression symptoms usually in late fall and winter. You may also experience periods of normal or high mood during the rest of the year.
5) Over Confidence – it may sound bizarre, people who have too much confidence or over self-esteem can be depressed when their pride is hurt. Feeling under-estimated, as a result they become frustrated and sad. As they say, lack of humility can rob your joy and make you feel miserable for any disappointment in life. The best way to prevent this to happen to you is to stop wanting to be the first in everything. Being modest is the key to avoiding over confidence. Modesty helps you realize your limitations and accept the fact you cannot be successful in everything in life. Failures are steps on the road to success; there’s no reason to constantly feel bad about them. Learn from your mistakes, and get over them.
6) Bad News – it’s good to watch TV or listen to radio to be informed. But bad news around the world is another common cause of depressive disorder. Can you imagine you turn on your TV, and the first thing you see is an innocent child killed after being tortured and sexually abused? Can you imagine watching a report on the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (which killed more than 300,000 people), or the 2010 Haitian earthquake (which killed about 316,000 people, injured more than 300,000 and caused nearly 1,000,000 people to be homeless)? In case you say that’s other people’s business, not yours. Don’t you think hearing the news you have just lost a loved one in an accident can also cause you to be depressed?
7) Being a Loner – human beings were not created to live alone. In fact, Adam, the first man inhabited this earth, was sad (maybe also depressed) because it was alone in the garden. Eve brought him joy and more. After millions of years of civilization, it’s quite normal for life to be challenging when living all alone. Being a loner is one of the major depression causes. People need people to interact; this is in human nature. We all need compliments and attention. We need friends to cheer us up when we are blue. It is shown in many studies that people who feel locked behind closed doors are more prone to be depressed. Sadness and emptiness surrounds us when we feel alone and abandoned. “We all need somebody to lean on”.
8) Unhealthy Diet and Lifestyle – eating unhealthily causes depression and worsen its symptoms. When the unhealthy diet is associated with a sedentary life, the risk for a major depressive disorder and other major diseases is even higher. In fact, numerous studies have shown that people who eat healthy and exercise regularly are far less likely to be depressed than those who do not. In addition to unhealthy foods, malnutrition or poor diet can also have a big impact on your body. It can certainly trigger or worsen the depression symptoms if you take the habit to eat junk and unhealthy foods. Ideal is to eat healthy diet rich in magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids along with plenty of fruits and vegetables to help you stay healthy and look young.
It is important to know that the above factors do not fully answer the question “what causes depression”? This list is far being complete, but it includes the top most common. The disease affects a great majority of people around the globe; the causes are multiple.
