Potential Causes of Depression

Depression can be caused by a variety of things. What causes depression brings up the nature vs. nurture debate, however, both seem to play a role in how people may develop depression. Life experiences, family history, and negative thoughts/attitudes/beliefs/behaviours can all lead to depression. In order to take the appropriate steps to recovery, it’s important to try and pinpoint the cause of your depression.

Here is a list of some potential causes for your consideration:

• Stress
• Genetics
• Lack of sufficient sunlight 
• Socio-economic factors (e.g. low income, prejudice)
• Negative and/or irrational thoughts
• Unhealthy diet
• Living in the past
• Life events (e.g. abusive relationships, traumatic events, divorce, starting at a new school or job)
• Lack of exercise
• Certain health conditions (e.g. stroke, AIDS, cancer)
• Hormone imbalance
• Thyroid imbalance
• The presence of toxic elements in your immune system (e.g. mercury, lead)
• Child birth
• Alcohol and/or drug use
• Side effects from certain medications

If you feel like you might be dealing with depression, you can check out my articles What is Depression?, Types of Depression and Symptoms of Depression for more info.