There are several causes of depression. Stress has been a popular topic here lately.

Depression is clearly associated with stress, negative life events and problems in living. Stressful life events have been found to be associated with general health and well-being.

Research has shown that people report an increased number of stressful life events in the weeks leading up to a depressive episode. Any change in the environment, even a positive one, can result in the experience of stress. So, for example, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship can all be considered as significant stressful events.

However, even positive changes such as marriage, promotion at work, birth of a child, going away to school, or moving to a new home can also cause stress.

The most common problems in living in adult life include the break-up of romantic relationships, conflict, disagreements and disputes in relationships at work or home, role transitions (adolescent to adult, student to employee, single life to marriage, parenthood, children leaving home, retirement), death of a loved one, financial problems, unemployment, racism, discrimination, harassment, bullying, poor physical health, and any number of traumatic events.

Stressful life events have specific effects on stress hormones and neurotransmitters in our brains. The effects of stress hormones on the brain may even increase a persons vulnerability to depression.

Depression is associated with specific problems with the balance of many neurotransmitters as well as physical, behavioural and psychological symptoms. It makes sense that the chemistry of the brain is changed in depression. We know that the body and the brain are not separate. How we feel, think and behave is related to changes in chemicals in the brain.

Maybe more importantly, it seems that experiencing depression actually changes how the brain responds to stress. It seems that once a person has had one episode of depression, their brain shows an exaggerated stress response to relatively minor stressors.

In other words, while an initial episode of depression may be triggered by a major negative life event, later episodes of depression may be triggered by more minor negative life events. Perhaps this is why depression can become a chronic problem.

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