{"id":4009,"date":"2018-07-27T16:42:46","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T20:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/?p=4009"},"modified":"2018-07-27T16:54:08","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T20:54:08","slug":"depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/mental-disorders\/depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"

DEFINITION<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n

Depression is a mental illness characterized by an extremely low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities.<\/p>\n

CAUSES<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a number of factors that can cause depression. In most of the cases, depression is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain that cannot be controlled by the individual patients without outside intervention. The three neurotransmitters involved are norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. You can be born prone to depression if you have a family history of depression or have defective genes. Sometimes, depression occurs to people accompanying certain medical illnesses. Beware of certain medications that you are on because a number of them can cause depression. Another example of biological factors is hormonal changes which occur at certain times during your life.<\/p>\n

In addition to biological factors, psychological factors can also be a trigger. When under stress, psychological vulnerability can be one cause of depression. One example is a specific, distressing life event. Your attitudes have an effect on your mood and therefore, a negative or pessimistic view of life is likely to trigger depression. Substance abuse can lead to depression, so be careful of alcohol and drug consumption. Please note that many depressive episodes can occur without a cause and are not triggered by any of the aforementioned risk factors.<\/p>\n

SYMPTOMS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some signs and symptoms of depression are:<\/p>\n