Your depression could be caused by many factors including financial difficulties, disappointments in your career or in relationships. Depression can also have genetic roots where it is inherited from your ancestors. Many people ask the question ‘Why am I depressed? ‘ and are not able to point to the root of the problem. The depression they feel seems to have emerged from nowhere. This is particularly the case with those people who undergo the worst forms of depression. They have extreme difficulty in pinpointing the causes of their depression.
Depression often comes unannounced and it is possible for someone to be positive and forward-looking one moment before getting acute depression the next moment. Clearly only by identifying the cause of depression can one combat it.
While causes such as financial difficulties or divorce will exacerbate it, a lot of people will experience depression for no particular reason they can identify. At least knowing what the cause is will help enable you to consider making some adjustments to address the situation. In this article, we will see some of the common reasons why you have a depression

Abuse

If you were once the victim of abuse-whether emotional, physical or sexual- then you are likely to experience depression later on in life. If you seek psychiatric help, it is important to be open and honest about your past experiences, especially during your childhood. By offering this background information on your past, it will be possible to design more accurate treatment regimes that will help you in recovery.

Substance abuse

Obviously you need to stop the use of any mood-altering drugs if you are depressed, but even youthful experimentation can be the cause of depression later on in life. It is estimated that 30% of people with substance abuse problems suffer from depression. It is essential that you reduce the use of mood-altering drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, and psychotropic drugs if you suffer from depression.

 Weaning yourself off a drug or drink addiction is not easy particularly if you are also depressed.

Medication

Some drugs such as Accutane (used to treat acne) are known to cause depressive symptoms in certain circumstances for some people. If you are subject to depression after taking some drugs, you must stop the medication and consult a physician about your condition. It’s also a good idea to have a list of all the medications you have taken in the recent past when you go for your first appointment with a psychiatrist.

Arguments and disputes

 Being in conflict with family or friends might trigger depressive symptoms in someone who is vulnerable to depression. Avoid conflict at all costs if you are susceptible to depression. It is also advisable to inform your friends and family members about your situation so that they can avoid certain situations.

Grief

Death of a loved one is one of the most disruptive events in our lives and we are likely to suffer from severe depression if we lose someone that we were close to. The finality of it makes it even more painful and hard to cope with particularly for people who are prone to depression.

Grief tends to trigger depression and if you have lost someone really close and are unable to cope with the grief on your own, it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible. Remember that death is just a natural process of transition for all human beings. Raw grief will subside over time.

The best way to cope with the death of a loved one is to recognize that it is a universal experience. If you are a religious person, it might be easier for you to cope with death. If you are not, you can use techniques such as meditation in order to arrive at a harmonious acceptance of the inevitability of death.

Major illness

Depression can be caused by and co-exist with another major illness. It is therefore important to look after your health in the round and not just your mental health. If you are already seeking help for the illness, mention the depression and ask your doctor to recommend specialists to help you deal with it.

Major events

All major events can be a possible cause of depression including the events that seem positive on the surface. An example of this is post-partum depression in women who have recently had a baby. This is caused by the crashing of hormones after birth.

Emotional problems

Any personal problems such as debt, loneliness, poverty or joblessness that have a disruptive effect on your emotions are a possible trigger for depression. Develop the habit of facing and dealing with your problems as soon as they appear instead of burying them inside where they can build and be a cause of problems later.

The most challenging thing about dealing with depression specifically and mental illness more generally, is the stigma that associates with them. Do not shy away from seeking professional help for your mental health problems. Most of us suffer from these at one time or another.