Lesson Two - The Difference between Sadness and Depression
Circumstantial Causes of Depression
There are also events that occur in life that may contribute to the development of depression. As with the biological causes, this list is not exhaustive or one of the causes for everyone with depression.
Depression is in a category of mental illnesses called “mood disorders”. If a person has a family member who has depression or another mood disorder, they are at an increased risk of developing depression. While there may be a genetic
component to mood disorders, having a family member diagnosed with a mood disorder does not automatically mean someone else will develop depression. It also does not mean that if that person does develop depression that their experience
will be exactly the same. Mental illness is unique to the person who is living with it, so even if two family members have the same diagnosis, their experience could be very different.
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There are entire books and courses that focus solely on trauma and the effects of it on a person; however, we do not have the space or time in this course to fully explain all that trauma entails. Trauma has been shown to change the structure of the brain.
This change in structure is actually the brain developing new pathways called neural pathways.
It is believed by many researchers that early childhood trauma can cause small, subtle changes in how the brain functions, and these changes may be responsible for the symptoms of depression and sadness.
These neural pathways are how the brain “talks” to itself and the rest of the body; everything from “1 + 1 = 2” to “I don’t feel safe here” to “I just stubbed my toe and now it hurts”. Every time you learn something new, a new neural pathway
is formed. Trauma can cause neural pathways to develop that affect how someone reacts to certain situations and fear. If the trauma occurs early in the person’s life, these pathways can easily become habits and a part of dealing with situations.
Habits can be both a positive and negative influence on your life, and sometimes the neural pathways that are built with a traumatic situation can lead to negative habits. How a person reacts to situations can greatly affect their life,
which in turn, can also affect their mental health.
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It is believed by many researchers that early childhood trauma can cause small, subtle changes in how the brain functions, and these changes may be responsible for the symptoms of depression and sadness.
Drug and alcohol use can both be the cause of and result of depression. However, having a history of drug or alcohol misuse can increase a person’s risk of developing depression. According to Healthline.com, approximately 21% of people that have some
sort of substance abuse issue have also experienced depression.
Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern, formerly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is a type of depression that is related to the amount of daylight a person is exposed to. The rates of depressive disorder with seasonal patterns
typically increase in the fall and winter months because of the limited daylight hours. The symptoms are generally quite similar to depression, with the person losing interest in everyday activities, significant weight gain/loss, issues
sleeping, lack of concentration and energy, and feelings of worthlessness.
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