The Actual Cause of Depression Has Just Been Discovered And It May Surprise You

Depression!! This is one of the worst health conditions plaguing over 300 million people of all ages worldwide according to WHO statistics. Among this figure at least 800,000 commit suicide the majority of which are between 15-29 years old. The biggest concern of depression is how something mentally and emotionally impacts physical health to the point of reducing immunity and increasing the risk of several types of disease.  According to statistics, at least 1 in 6 people will suffer from depression at some point of their lives.

1New causes of Depression have been found

The problem with depression is that not many people possess the mental faculties to deal with it. Invariably it sucks you in like a quagmire of dark emotions resulting from several reasons from childhood trauma, phobias and fears to abuse. For years, scientists have tried to pinpoint the condition that takes the life of many every year. Depression has now come under the scrutiny of doctors, experts and scientists as never before and hopefully the answer to what causes depression has finally been found.

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2Other factors cause depression besides chemical imbalances

The debate on depression and its causes is still at large where many feel it is due to the chemical imbalances in the brain or a defect of brain physiology. However!! This is now being disputed by the medical fraternity as the only cause of depression. Other factors also come into play here that are causing depression

For those with depression, the perennial question of “what is wrong with me” remains unanswered. Although there is a genuine desire to come out of the treacherous cycle, emotions and thoughts can’t be helped and that’s what claws at a victim of depression with the common feeling of sinking and profound sadness.

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3Not just due to a malfunctioning brain

Research now reveals that depression doesn’t necessarily mean a malfunctioning brain. The biggest reason for depression and anxiety is a traumatic event that occurred in a person’s past. It doesn’t hit a brain on the spur of the moment or injured. There are also various biological factors like genetics that may make you vulnerable to a risk of depression although it isn’t the main cause.

Johann Hari, a scholar in social sciences and a victim of depression spent three years of research in Cambridge studying the actual causes of depression and he was shocked with what he found.

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4There are nine causes of depression

Scientists usually measure depression using the Hamilton scale where 0 is happy or ecstatic and 59 the last measurement is suicidal. Improved sleep measures about 6 on the scale where a mind under chemical depressants improves a reading by 1.8 points. Through this Hari felt scientists needed to expand their options for those suffering depression. Here’s what he found.

Hari learned that there are nine causes of depression and anxiety that unfold around people of which two are biological causes and seven external influences in the world which play out different degrees of depression to different people. Hari says that WHO or The World Health Organization has been warning all along that medical experts need to deal with the underlying and deeper causes of depression.

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