Depression

This will help many people if this is released but for now, the purpose of this essay is to inform "ME" of the meaning of depression. A mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest holds me back from various tasks daily. Scientists have proved that depression is very common to one in seven to eight Americans every year that is able to be caused by personality traits that are developed. Depression can also be caused by your genes, brain chemistry, hormones that are contributed to biology. The rest can be a part of the environment, for example, daylight and the four seasons but can also become caused by social or family situations.

Things like stress, using alcohol or drugs, and hormone changes also affect the brain's delicate chemistry and mood. Some health conditions may cause depression-like symptoms. First, we will talk about how biology subjects are able to cause this mood disorder. A scientist has found that people can inherit genes that contribute to this mood disorder. For example, if their grandparents have had depression then your genes and theirs probably are similar in that department but they may have no family members who have never had this mood disorder. "So genes are one factor, but they aren't the only reason for depression.".

Chemicals, called neurotransmitters(nur-oh-TRANZ-mit-urs), help send messages between nerve cells in the brain. Some of the neurotransmitters can also regulate mood which means that if they became low in supply or not effective enough it causes the victim to grow depressed but in a way, genes and brain chemistry are connected. If someone has the genes for depression then he or she's more likely to have the neurotransmitter disadvantage that contributes to depression. Not only chemistry causes severe depression but many health conditions caused by everyday choices are enough to generate this mood disorder.

Different health conditions may cause depression-like symptoms. For example, hypothyroidism is known to cause a "depressed mood", while Mono can drain energy. The daylight and seasons play a massive component in depression since they are the reasons we are still organisms. Melatonin and Serotonin are neurotransmitters that regulate their sleep-wake cycles, energy, and mood. Daylight affects this but when there is less, the brain produces more Melatonin and when there is more, the brain produces more Serotonin. Shorter days and longer hours of darkness in fall and winter may lead the body to have more melatonin and less serotonin which leads up to an imbalance. This imbalance is what creates the conditions for depression known as a seasonal affective disorder(SAD).

Now, we can move on to life situations/events and the family/social environment that also contributes to the mood disorder called "depression.". Examples of life events that may lead to depression are the death of a family member, pet, or friend that you knew or didn't know but may help them observe their perspective of life which comes to questions(this overwhelms you). Another life event is if your parent's divorce, separate, or remarry but, "whether or not difficult life situations lead to depression can depend a lot on how well a person is able to cope, stay positive, and receive support.".

In the family/social environment a negative, stressful, or unhappy family atmosphere is a large portion leading to depression and "other high-stress living situations — such as poverty, homelessness, or violence — can contribute.". If they're dealing with bullying, harassment, or peer pressure can lead to some people feeling some people feeling isolated, victimized, or insecure. These situations may not go straight to dealing with depression. If they're facing these problems without relief or support may likely lead up to becoming depressed.