5 theories that explain the causes of depression

Depression is one of the psychological concepts that has aroused the most interest in mind researchers. It is a disorder in our emotional state that, although it is often confused with simple sadness, is diagnosed in serious cases in which the person’s quality of life is seriously compromised without, often, being able to relate that been with something that has happened to you.

In addition, the causes of depression are not fully known, among other things because there are many factors involved in this phenomenon. Despite this, over the years several theories have been developed about depression that, each in its own way, are useful to better understand it and to discover what are the factors that can lead us to this state of mind.

The humanist position

There is a general tendency in the scientific and psychiatric world to bias the study of depression. At the very least, it is interesting to reflect on emotional states beyond certain pre-established ideas.

Our emotional state is changeable. The experiences of the day to day, the misfortunes and the way in which we face each moment and situation can change our state of mind. This phenomenon is completely natural and does not cause any alarm signal.. In fact, sadness fulfills a mission within our psychic apparatus: laying a cloak in which to rebuild daily disappointments and misfortunes. Sadness is functional for our body, because it allows us to have a time in which to face a loss or a frustrating situation.

In the face of a traumatic event, such as the death of a family member, a stage of emotional mourning occurs. We spend a few weeks (or even months) somewhat more head down, allowing our emotions to accept the new situation and making us aware of things that we previously ignored. As emotional beings that we are, grief and sadness can be fully functional, understandable and positive for our psychological health..

Sadness or depression?

In the case of depression, we must also weigh both the use and abuse of this diagnostic label. Sometimes we make the mistake of confusing both concepts. Just as sadness is natural and is one more emotional state, depression represents a certain consolidation of this state, for a relatively long time.

However, depression plays the same role: in a situation of helplessness or trauma, our mind reacts like this. Time, a friendly environment and the reworking of the traumatic event will lead us to a more positive attitude towards life. As we can see, depression poses a mental situation that allows us to face certain changes. So that, It is important to demystify depression and conceive of it as another mental state, which almost all of us will go through at some point and which will help us to rethink our existence..

Theories about the causes of depression

Below you can find each of these theories about depression briefly explained; some of them put more emphasis on biology and genetics and others focus on explaining how the way we relate to the environment (and to others) can fuel depressive dynamics.

Any of these theories is widely discussed among mental health professionals and researchers since, as I have already pointed out, there is no academic consensus on the factors that generate this state of sadness. Each case is unique and it is necessary to address this mood disorder taking into account the environmental, genetic and emotional variables of each individual.

1. Restless Hormones

Hormones are microscopic elements that our body uses to make various regions of the body coordinate with each other in order to respond in the best possible way to a situation.

For example, when we notice that there is something dangerous near us, we begin to secrete certain substances thanks to which we become more sensitive to changes in the environmentwe prepare the muscles so that they can act quickly and we make there is less blood circulating near the skin in case of injury.

Some research suggests that depression could be the consequence of a hormonal imbalance triggered by the presence of stress.

It is known that, after experiencing anxiety, our body produces a substance called cortisol which, if it maintains its effects for a long time, produces symptoms associated with stress. In addition, it has been seen that abnormally high levels of this substance maintained for a long time are associated with depression.

In any case, being sadder for a few days does not have to be an indicator that we are in a depression. Hormonal changes are totally normal in healthy people. Each one of us has a hormonal cycle that influences our mood, so it should be clearly stated that hormones only cause depression in cases of significant imbalances.

2. Less activity in the frontal lobe?

Some neuroscientific studies seem to indicate that in people with depression the activity of the frontal lobes (the part of the surface of the brain that is near the eyes) is significantly lower than normal.. This area of ​​the brain is involved in mental processes as important as decision-making and the creation of plans, strategies and long-term goals, so it is not surprising that people with depression show an attitude of apathy and lack of initiative when they experience the symptoms.

In addition, the brain’s tonsils, which have to do with the intense emotional responses that appear when detecting certain situations, reveal the opposite: their degree of activation is abnormally high.

These discoveries have led several researchers to think that the causes of depression could be found in the fact that the groups of neurons that make up some brains are wired together in strange ways. These alterations would mean that, by default, brain activation would also be abnormal, making areas more active than normal at the expense of others.

Despite this, considering this reduced brain activity to be the cause of depression could be a misleading idea.. Many psychologists and psychiatrists agree in pointing out a “cerebrocentric” bias in this type of theories. The influence of brain activity on the appearance of mood disorders could be under discussion.

3. Can genetics play a role in its appearance?

Although no specific human DNA gene that causes depression has yet been found, it has been seen that depressive disorders are highly heritable. For example, in twins that share the same genetic code, it has been proven that if one of them develops depression, her brother will have almost a 50% chance of doing so as well.

In the same way, it has been proven that if a person’s father or mother has depression, the chances that they will do so triple, going from 5%, which is common in the entire population in general, to 15%.

Just because this mood disorder can be heritable doesn’t mean that if our parents had episodes of sadness, we should have them too. This is just a statistical trend, which contrasts with many particular cases in which this supposed heritability does not occur.

4. The diet

We are what we eat. Our bodies are basically built with the materials we extract from what we eat, and that seems to have implications for mental health as well. This theory about depression links this disorder to a possible inflammation of the brain (or some parts of it) caused by an excess of substances such as certain types of sugars and gluten.

It has also been observed that the consumption of certain foods goes hand in hand with the chances of developing depression, although it is not certain that the former is the cause of the latter.

5. Possible incidence of neurological impairment

Several investigations have revealed that depression can occur at the same time as a reduction in the volume of certain parts of the brainwhich has led to the belief that depression is the way in which this atrophy manifests itself.

This may be because, for some reason, in people with depressive disorders, neurons die at a higher rate than would be expected and, at the same time, the creation of more nerve cells slows down or stops. . An alternative, albeit complementary, explanation would be that neurons that already exist grow less than normal and connect less with each other.

However, there are many cases of patients who present cognitive deterioration and who, contrary to what this theory exposes, not only do not suffer from any signs of depression but also live with a high quality of life and emotional health. These are cases that show us that this mood disorder must be rethought, since it is explained to a much greater extent by temporary and natural emotional states and not because of some kind of biological mismatch.