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• There are several possible causes of depression, and they often interplay with each other. Generally, biological or genetic, psychological and/or environmental factors, or a combination of these, are thought to underlie depression.
• Depression can be a result of a primary psychiatric condition, or it can be secondary to a medical condition. Depression may be caused by use of certain substances, such as alcohol.
• Some of the medical conditions which can cause depression, are hypothyroidism, certain types of cancer such as pancreatic cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and others.

• Depression can affect anyone.
• Females are more likely to suffer from depression than males, however, depression affects males as well.
• Some of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing depression:
  • Having a family member with depression
  • Stressful life events (Katon 2011)
  • Adverse childhood experiences (Katon 2011)
  • Certain medical conditions may increase risk for depression, for example, stroke, multiple sclerosis, HIV (NIMH)

Experiencing sadness at one time or another is part of the normal human experience. However, depression is more than the occasional sadness that people experience. When an individual suffers from depression, the sadness tends to be more pervasive or long lasting, and can be accompanied by one or more of the following: decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of hopelessness, low self-worth, excessive guilt, decrease in energy, concentration difficulties, appetite changes, sleep difficulty or excessive sleep, headaches, body aches and pains, and/or thoughts of suicide.

• Mental health and physical health are closely inter-related. Depression is linked with changes in the brain. Additionally, depression can increase risk for medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, migraine (NIMH, Steffan et al 2020). Chronic depression can also increase the risk of obesity.
• Studies show that major depressive disorder may increase risk for cardiovascular disease (Van der Kooy et al 2007). On the other hand, depression may emerge after a myocardial infarction, as a first episode or as a recurrent one (Spijkerman et al 2005).
• Similarly, studies show that depression may increase risk for diabetes, and diabetes may increase the risk of depression (Mezuk et al 2008, Katon 2011, Oladeji and Gureje 2013). Depressive disorders in people who have diabetes, can lower adherence to diabetes treatment, and can increase the likelihood of ‘poor glycemic control’ and complications from diabetes (Oladeji and Gureje 2013).

Depression can affect the elderly as well. In fact, it is often missed in the elderly. Elderly with chronic health conditions and related impairment in functioning may be at greater risk of depression. According to the CDC, depression among elderly ranges from 1% to 5% for those living in the community, and is about 11.5% & 13.5% among elderly who are hospitalized and elderly requiring home healthcare respectively (CDC).

Just like adults, children can suffer from depression that significantly impairs their social, academic and/or other domains of functioning. For more information on childhood depression, check out this ADAA blog post

When feelings of sadness, low mood, or emptiness after the birth of the baby are significant and persists for 2 weeks or longer, postpartum depression may be present. It may be accompanied by hopelessness, crying spells, decrease in interest or motivation, worthlessness, decreased energy, thoughts of suicide, thoughts of hurting the baby, lack of interest in the baby, sleep difficulty or excessive sleep, appetite increase or decrease, and/or concentration, memory difficulties. Postpartum depression can affect both the mother and the baby in various, significant ways. Timely treatment is important.

There are effective treatments for depression which have been established through research; many treatments for depression have been around for years. Many people ignore signs of depression despite experiencing significant suffering. This may be due to stigma, lack of awareness, and/or barriers to accessing care. Untreated depression confers several risks. Discussing your concerns about depression with your doctor can often be the first step in getting professional help.