Causes of Depression
The causes of depression are complex and can include genetic predisposition, biochemical imbalances in neurotransmitters, hormonal changes, seasonal patterns, and situational factors like trauma or significant life changes.
Diagnosis involves a thorough examination and medical history review by a doctor, potentially including a referral to a psychiatrist.
Treatment options include medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle adjustments, such as exercise and avoiding substance use.
What is depression?
Depression is a disorder affecting mood and general outlook. A loss of interest in activities or feeling sad and down are symptoms that characterize this condition. Even though most people feel sad or down for brief periods, clinical depression is more than just feeling sad.
Depression is a serious medical condition and people usually aren't able to just get over a depressive state. Untreated depression that can cause lasting issues that include:
employment problems
strain on relationships
drug and alcohol abuse
suicidal thoughts or attempts
Many people who receive effective treatment for depression will go on to live healthy and happy lives. For some, depression may be a lifelong challenge that requires treatment on a long-term basis.
Talk to your doctor if you think you are suffering from depression or a major depressive disorder. People of any age and life situation can have depression.
What causes depression?
Depression isn't a simple condition with a known cause. Some people are more susceptible to depressive episodes while others are not. It's important to discuss symptoms with your doctor. There are several possible causes of depression.
Genetic
Depression may be an inherited condition. You may have a higher likelihood of experiencing a depressive disorder at some point in your life if you have a family member with depression. The exact genes involved are not known. It's believed that many genes may play a factor in causing depression.
Biochemical
Some people have noticeable changes in their brains with depression. Even though this potential cause isn't understood, it does suggest depression starts with brain function. Some psychiatrists look at brain chemistry with cases of depression.
Neurotransmitters in the brain — specifically serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine — affect feelings of happiness and pleasure and may be out of balance in people with depression. Antidepressants work to balance these neurotransmitters, mainly serotonin. How and why these neurotransmitters get out of balance and what role they play in depressive states isn't fully understood.
Hormonal
Changes in hormone production or functioning could lead to the onset of depressive states. Any changes in hormone states — including menopause, childbirth, thyroid problems, or other disorders — could cause depression.
With postpartum depression, mothers develop symptoms of depression after giving birth. It's normal to be emotional because of the changing hormones, but postpartum depression is a serious condition.
Seasonal
As daylight hours get shorter in the winter, many people develop feelings of lethargy, tiredness, and a loss of interest in everyday activities. This condition was called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Now it's known as major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern. Your doctor may prescribe medication or a light box to help treat this condition. The condition also usually goes away once the days get longer.
Situational
Trauma, a big change, or struggle in life can trigger a case of depression. Losing a loved one, being fired, having financial troubles, or undergoing a serious change can have a big impact on people.
What are the symptoms of depression?
While the symptoms of depression can vary depending on the severity, there are some standard symptoms to watch for. Depression not only affects your thought and feelings, it can also impact how you act, what you say, and your relationships with others. Common symptoms include:
sadness
tiredness
trouble focusing or concentrating
unhappiness
anger
irritability
frustration
loss of interest in pleasurable or fun activities
sleep issues (too much or too little)
no energy
craving unhealthy foods
anxiety
isolation
restlessness
worrying
trouble thinking clearly or making decisions
poor performance at work or school
dropping out of activities
guilt
suicidal thoughts or tendencies
pain, like headaches or muscle aches
drug or alcohol abuse
Some people also show signs of mania, psychotic episodes, or changes in motor abilities. These can signify other conditions that can cause depression, like bipolar disorder.
If you think someone is at immediate risk of self-harm or hurting another person:
· Call 911 or your local emergency number.
· Stay with the person until help arrives.
· Remove any guns, knives, medications, or other things that may cause harm.
· Listen, but don't judge, argue, threaten, or yell.
If you think someone is considering suicide, get help from a crisis or suicide prevention hotline. Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or use the chat feature at 988Lifeline.org.
What are the risk factors of depression?
Many factors can increase your risk of developing depression at some point in your life. Risk factors include:
being a woman (more women are diagnosed with depression than men)
having low self-esteem
having blood relatives with depression
being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
having other mental health disorders, like anxiety or bipolar disorder
abusing drugs or alcohol
having a serious or chronic illness
taking certain medications, like sleeping pills
living in a region of the world that has long winter nights and limited sunlight
How is depression diagnosed?
To diagnose depression your doctor will do a full examination and get your medical history. They may refer you to a psychiatrist for a more in-depth evaluation. Since depression can't be tested for using blood tests, your doctor will ask you questions about your thoughts and feelings. Your doctor will be able to diagnose you based on your symptoms and answers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
11 minutes ago
- Forbes
In The AI Revolution, Medical Schools Are Falling Behind U.S. Colleges
Instead of learning to use the tools that will define tomorrow's care, med school students still ... More memorize biochemistry pathways and obscure facts they'll never use in clinical practice. getty At Duke University, every matriculating student now has access to a custom AI assistant. At Cal State, more than 460,000 students across 23 campuses are equipped with a 24/7 ChatGPT toolkit upon enrollment. These aren't pilot programs. They're part of a full-scale transformation in the way higher education is preparing students for their future careers. Meanwhile, most U.S. medical schools remain stuck in the last century. Instead of learning to use the tools that will define tomorrow's care, students still memorize biochemistry pathways and are tested on obscure facts they'll never use in clinical practice. Following the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, college deans and department chairs responded with caution. They worried about plagiarism, declining writing skills and an overreliance on artificial intelligence. Since, most have since shifted from risk avoidance to opportunity. Today, universities are integrating generative AI into tutoring, test prep, research, advising and more. Many now expect faculty to teach AI fluency across each of their disciplines. Medical education hasn't kept pace. A recent Educause study found that only 14% of medical schools have developed a formal GenAI curriculum compared with 60% of undergraduate programs. Most medical school leaders continue to view large language models as administrative tools rather than clinical ones. That's a mistake. By the time today's students become physicians, they'll carry in their pockets a tool more powerful and important to clinical practice than the stethoscope ever was. In seconds, GenAI can surface every relevant medical study, guideline and precedent. And soon, it will allow patients to accurately evaluate symptoms and understand treatment options before they ever set foot in a clinic. Used wisely, generative AI will help prevent the 400,000 deaths each year from diagnostic errors, the 250,000 from preventable medical mistakes and the 500,000 from poorly controlled chronic diseases. Despite GenAI's potential to transform healthcare, most medical schools still train students for the medicine of the past. They prioritize memorization over critical thinking and practical application. They reward students for recalling facts rather than for effectively accessing and applying knowledge with tools like ChatGPT or Claude. Historically, physicians were judged by how well they told patients what to do. In the future, success will be measured by medical outcomes. Specifically, how well clinicians and AI-empowered patients work together to prevent disease, manage symptoms and save lives. The outdated approach to medical education persists beyond university classrooms. Internship and residency programs still prioritize applicants for their memorization-based test scores. Attending physicians routinely quiz trainees on arcane facts instead of engaging in practical problem-solving. This practice, known as 'pimping,' is a relic of 20th-century training. Few industries outside of medicine would tolerate it. How To Modernize Medical Training Generative AI is advancing at breakneck speed, with capabilities doubling roughly every year. In five years, medical students will enter clinical practice with GenAI tools 32 times more powerful than today's models — yet few will have received formal training on how to use them effectively. Modernizing medical education must begin with faculty. Most students entering medical school in 2025 will already be comfortable using generative AI, having leaned on it during college and while preparing for the MCAT exam. But most professors will be playing catch-up. To close this gap, medical schools should implement a faculty education program before the new academic year. Instructors unfamiliar with GenAI would learn how to write effective prompts, evaluate the reliability of answers and ask clarifying questions to refine outputs. Once all faculty have a foundational understanding of the new applications, the real work begins. They need to create a curriculum for the coming semester. Here are two examples of what that might look like for third-year students on a clinical rotation: Exercise 1: Differential diagnosis with GenAI as a co-physician In a small-group session, students would receive a clinical vignette: A 43-year-old woman presents with fatigue, joint pain and a facial rash that worsens with sun exposure. Students would begin by first drafting their own differential diagnosis. Then, they would prompt a generative AI tool to generate its own list of potential diagnoses. Next, participants would engage the AI in a back-and-forth dialogue, questioning its reasoning, testing assumptions and challenging conclusions. To reinforce clinical reasoning in collaboration with GenAI, each student would also submit written responses to these questions: Is lupus or dermatomyositis the more likely diagnosis, and why? What additional data would help rule out Lyme disease? Cite three high-quality studies that support your diagnostic ranking. The goal of this type of exercise isn't to identify a 'right' answer but to strengthen analytical thinking, expose cognitive biases and teach students how to use GenAI to broaden diagnostic reasoning (not limit it). By the end of the exercise, students should be more confident using AI tools to support — but not replace — their own clinical judgment. Exercise 2: Managing chronic disease with GenAI support In this scenario, students imagine seeing a 45-year-old man during a routine checkup. The patient has no prior medical problems but, on physical exam, his blood pressure measures 140/100. Students begin by walking through the clinical reasoning process: What questions would they ask during the patient history? Which physical findings would be most concerning? What laboratory tests would they order? What initial treatment and follow-up plan would they recommend? Then, students enter the same case into a generative AI tool and evaluate its recommendations. Where do the AI's suggestions align with their own? Where do they differ (and why)? Finally, students are tasked with designing a patient-centered care plan that incorporates medical therapy, lifestyle changes and as many GenAI-powered applications as possible. These might include analyzing data from at-home blood pressure monitors, customizing educational guidance or enabling patients to actively manage their chronic diseases between visits. Training Physicians To Lead, Not Follow Colleges understand that preparing students for tomorrow's careers means teaching them how to apply generative AI in their chosen fields. Medicine must do the same. Soon, physicians will carry in their pocket the entirety of medical knowledge, instantly accessible and continuously updated. They'll consult AI agents trained on the latest research and clinical guidelines. And their patients, empowered by GenAI, will arrive not with random Google results, but with a working understanding of their symptoms, potential diagnoses and evidence-based treatment options. If medical schools don't prepare students to lead clinical application of these tools, for-profit companies and private equity firms will focus solely on ways to lower costs, even when these approaches compromise medical care. As medical school deans prepare to welcome the class of 2029, they must ask themselves: Are we training students to practice yesterday's medicine or to lead tomorrow's?
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'I almost skipped my smear test, but instinct saved my life'
A 36-year-old woman who almost didn't go to her cervical screening because she was embarrassed about being examined says the decision to go saved her life after abnormal cells were discovered by the doctors, and she was diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer. Anna Millington, a mum of one from London who works in HR, then underwent a gruelling treatment process. Anna says in June, 2021 she wanted to avoid her cervical screening as she was at the end of her period and was worried about being examined. But Anna had the gut instinct that something wasn't right and eventually went for the test. Her screening detected a positive HPV result and identified the abnormal cells. Anna says at the time, her main worry was the possibility of not being able to have any more children. The thought of cancer hadn't even crossed Anna's mind. She went through a colonoscopy and LLETZ treatment, the burning of cervical cells, which she describes as being a traumatic experience. READ MORE: Jaffa Cakes owners send cease and desist letter to museum READ MORE: Woman put off GP appointment for holiday and came home to worst news It was a six-week wait following Anna's additional tests and although not experiencing any cervical cancer symptoms and having a clean bill of health, she had a call from Queen's Hospital, Romford, requesting she came in the following day to discuss her results. Anna was diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer. With children still on her mind, she had asked about her options and the possibility of freezing her eggs but was told that she had an aggressive form of cancer and was encouraged to begin treatment immediately. 'Before cervical cancer, life was full of hope and dreams for the future,' Anna says. 'I was planning to extend my family, to have more children, to grow into the next chapter of motherhood with excitement. 'But all that was taken from me - in a single moment. One diagnosis. One conversation. And just like that my fertility was gone. It's hard to put into words what it feels like to lose something so deeply personal, something I never even had a chance to have. I felt numb. Everything around me just stopped. I was scared but almost instantly something inside me shifted. I knew I had to fight this. I had my daughter, Penelope, 10, to live for. She was and is my anchor, my reason, my everything. Yes, I was afraid but more than that I was ready for battle.' During the period from July to September 2021, Anna's diagnosis had gone from Stage 1 to Stage 3 and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, meaning further treatment. On September 28, the day after her birthday, she underwent a radical hysterectomy. Anna endured 25 rounds of radiotherapy, five rounds of chemotherapy, and brachytherapy – a procedure involving the insertion of a device to kill cancer cells. Eight months after her cervical screenings on February 12, 2022, Anna received the all-clear. However, the aftermath left her with fertility issues, early menopause, lymphedema and fatigue as well as her experience taking a huge toll on her mental wellbeing. 'Treatment was exhausting,' says Anna, who was treated at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London and had surgery at the Royal London Hospital. "It pushes you to your physical and emotional limits in ways you can't fully prepare for. Anyone going through cancer treatment is a warrior. There's no other word for it. It's tough, relentless and it takes everything out of you. 'My whole body felt drained - like I was running on empty but still had to keep going. Chemotherapy made me feel cold to the bone, a chill no blanket could fix. And radiotherapy was intense - this was five days a week for five weeks straight. It became my full-time life, and yet it was also a fight for my very life. It's a journey that strips you down, but also shows you how much strength you carry inside.' But despite her brutal experience, her diagnosis has given Anna a whole new lease of life and she's determined to go on as many adventures as possible whilst offering her support to others that are on their own cervical cancer journeys. She does this via her Instagram page, @cervical_cancer_and_me, where she raises awareness and inspires others going through similar journeys. 'I started my Instagram page because, when I was first diagnosed, I searched everywhere for someone like me. Someone real and honest about what going through cervical cancer actually feels like,' Anna says. 'But there weren't many platforms that showed the truth behind the diagnosis - the grief, the strength, the unknowns, the impact on fertility, identity, relationships… all of it. 'So I created a space not just to share my journey, but to connect with others going through the same or similar. I wanted to help people feel less alone, and to start the conversations I wish had been there for me. This page is about awareness, yes - but it's also about community, honesty and hope. Because none of us should have to walk this path in silence.' From an HR perspective, Anna believes that employers can play a crucial role in supporting employees through health challenges such as cervical cancer. She advocates for companies to provide comprehensive health services, including full body MOT checks, and to allow an additional half-day on top of allocated annual leave to attend cervical screening appointments given the lack of after-hours options. Anna wants to call on employers to support their employees to attend their potentially life-saving screenings. Anna's encouragement comes following research ahead for Cervical Screening Awareness Week last month, where it was revealed that over a third of women (35%) said they've put off attending their cervical screenings due to work commitments. The research, conducted by gynaecological cancer charity, the Lady Garden Foundation, also found that half (50%) of the women polled said they had felt pressured to prioritise work over personal health appointments, including cervical screenings. Nearly a third (31%) of women admitted to having booked annual leave for their screenings, whilst shockingly, 16% said their boss or workplace had insisted they book time off to attend their appointments. Nearly a third (31%) also claimed that their boss or workplace would not see their cervical screening as a good reason to be off work. 'Companies should try to create compassionate, flexible sick leave policies,' Anna explains. 'People going through cancer treatment need time — not just to survive, but to recover. Flexibility around appointments, phased returns, and realistic expectations are essential. Employers have a legal duty of care to protect their employees' health and wellbeing.' Anna also believes employers should offer paid health checks, payroll giving, support fertility and menopause conversations, offer emotional and mental health support and be inclusive of carers and loved ones. 'Companies should also run internal campaigns about cancer prevention, early detection, like cervical screening, and what support is available,' she adds. 'Awareness can save lives. You can also implement cancer champions to support this. Another good idea is to raise money for charity – getting the whole team involved and talking. Supporting employees who are caring for someone with cancer is just as important. Flexibility and empathy make a big difference during what is often an emotionally and logistically challenging time.' Anna's personal journey through cervical cancer during lockdown has inspired her to advocate for better awareness on the screening process, de-stigmatise HPV and help other women break down the barriers they may face in the workplace when it comes to attending their potentially lifesaving cervical screening appointments. 'I was fortunate that my employers were supportive during my cervical cancer journey, however, I have friends and family where that hasn't been the case,' Anna adds. 'As a HR specialist myself, I urge those who don't feel comfortable talking to their line manager to seek guidance from their Human Resources team who are there for support.' Anna wants to raise awareness of cervical cancer and to point out that while she's not the same person she was before, she's stronger than ever. 'I wish people knew that I am not the same person I was before I had cancer - and that's not a bad thing,' Anna says. 'I've carried pain, fear and loss most people never see. I've had to rebuild not just my body but my sense of self. I've grieved the future I thought I had and leaned to love the life I'm now creating. I wish people understood that even though I smile and show strength, there are still days I'm processing what I've been through - the trauma, the scars, the body changes, the fertility loss, the emotional weight of it all. 'But most of all, I wish people knew that I'm still me - Just more aware, more present and more determined than ever to live with honesty and an open heart. Cervical cancer changed me - but it didn't break me. It made me softer in some ways but fiercer in others. And I'm still here. 'I'm living each day as it comes by making the best memories for me and my daughter and living every day to the fullest.' Find out more about gynaecological cancer charity, the Lady Garden Foundation and their 'Encourage Your Team to Screen' campaign at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Can Gut Bacteria Be The Key To Banishing Forever Chemicals?
Researchers at the University of Cambridge say they have identified a family of bacterial species that can help remove toxic PFAS, better known as 'forever chemicals.' PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) have been shown to cause health issues like decreased fertility, cardiovascular disease, developmental delays in children, and increased risk of certain cancers. Now, researchers say a microbe naturally found in the human gut may be able to absorb these forever chemicals and help remove them from the body. The researchers introduced nine of these bacterial species into the guts of mice in an attempt to 'humanize' the rodents' microbiomes. They found that the bacteria quickly absorbed PFAS that were consumed by the mice, which were then expelled in their feces. Notably, as more and more PFAS were introduced, the microbes worked harder, consistently helping withdraw the same percentage of the chemicals. Within just minutes of PFAS exposure, the bacteria accumulated between 25% and 74% of the chemicals. While the findings are promising, the results have yet to be verified in humans. The researchers aim to utilize the study's findings to develop probiotic dietary supplements that can enhance the levels of these microbes in the human gut. In May, The Dallas Express reported that the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would roll back limitations on certain PFAS in drinking water. Standards for PFOA and PFOS, two primary subtypes of PFAS, will remain at four parts per trillion; however, utilities will be given an extension to 2031 to comply with the limitation. Despite the health risks associated with PFAS, they remain ubiquitous in human environments, found in a wide range of products, including food packaging, waterproof clothing, and non-stick pans. Since they take thousands of years to break down, these forever chemicals continue to accumulate in both the environment and human bodies. 'Given the scale of the problem of PFAS 'forever chemicals', particularly their effects on human health, it's concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies,' said Dr. Kiran Patil, of the University of Cambridge's MRC Toxicology Unit and senior author of the report.
