Common Causes of Depression and Where to Find Support

Introduction

This second article on depression is a look at our best understanding of what causes depression. There is no single cause, but a wide range of possible causes for an individual experiencing this troubling state. We can have many physical illnesses, such as an upset stomach, and there can be many causes, though the symptoms are quite similar.

Depression is real, and the impact on the person is great, affecting them emotionally, psychologically, and physically. The following is largely a survey of what some of the causes are for depression.

I was also curious as to examples of depression that there are in the Bible. One thing that has struck me is that God never shames anyone for feeling down, discouraged, or what we would call depressed. I believe it is because He knows well the emotions and the pain of that experience. We know this because of the life of Jesus. He was subjected to every temptation as us, but without sin (Hebrew 5:15). Jesus also showed great compassion for the downtrodden.

Elijah the prophet experienced such discouragement regarding those who were trying to kill him and asked God to take his life. He was so distressed that he couldn’t take life anymore (I Kings 19 and 20). King David expressed depression throughout the Psalms.

Job questioned why he was born and lamented his life in Job 3. For some of these examples, the conditions of life led to a sense of despair and we really don’t know for how long they were in this condition, but God’s response is not a “just snap out of it” but is patient and full of grace.

Negative Sense of Self

What I have found in my clients and research is that one key common thread to the causes of depression is when one takes an inward look and they conclude that, “I’m not good enough, I’m flawed, I’m self-indulgent, I’m evil” (McWilliams, p237) To carry this further, there is a general feeling that one believes that they are not worthy to be loved, riddled with self-doubt, feel out of place in social situations, feel incompetent, and many other self-condemning thoughts.

It’s a horrible feeling. Coming to this conclusion when deep in one’s soul there is the need for love, acceptance, and belonging, can be crushing. As one perceives themselves in this light and assume others concur that they find it difficult to combat these negative thoughts. This triggers a vicious internal thought loop of self-condemnation, fear of rejection by most around them and seemingly there is no way out.

These negative thoughts and feelings have a profound impact on the quality of life for the individual. These thoughts, often unconscious, are devastating to the individual and pull them ever further in a downward spiral. It only makes sense that such thoughts and feelings about oneself would be hard to bear and lead to suffering.

The influences of these thoughts and feelings are often the result of deprived nurturing and trauma in the form of abuse or neglect of a child. The child, as they seek to make sense of the world around them, begins to conclude that his/her care givers cannot be relied on to take care of their most basic needs. They conclude that adults cannot be trusted. Since the adults around them treat them harshly, they must not be worthy of their care or their love.

Children, including teens, will internalize these experiences as they build a schema to understand the world in which they live. The convictions they draw about themselves, like who they are, what they are about, are most often negative.

There are other influences besides families that can contribute to a negative sense of self. One author suggested that depression is a signature illness of our time. Meaning the complexities of modern life, intrusive technologies, and the push to find satisfaction in oneself and life through broadcasting everything that happens almost every day is ultimately harmful.

No doubt social media holds up standards of acceptability, favorability, and beauty by showcasing someone having more fun than you, being better than you, or having a better life, leading to a culture of comparison.

Another aspect of our time in the early 21^st century is how “the enormous increase in individual choices of life’s perspectives lead to a loss of social security and makes one’s own identity a lifelong project of the individual.” (Leuzinger-Bohleber, p. 22).

Sociologist Alain Ehrenberg declares “the exhausted self to be the disease of contemporary society, whose norms of behavior are no longer based on guilt and discipline, but above all responsibility and initiative.” (Ibid.).

This is a bit of a turn from just blaming social media, by going deeper into how the new pressures of life, with a myriad of choices in identity, social grouping, education, career, are all geared to push one “to be all you can be.” And if you’re not, you’re a loser.

No doubt, some developing young adults might thrive in such an environment, but for many it is just too much. The mere number of choices creates anxiety and the potential for failure. Ehrenberg goes on to explain that depression is the “disease of the individual who is inhibited and exhausted by the tension between the possible and the impossible.” (Ibid.)

Meaning Making

 We are all locked inside our brains and experience everything in our own unique way. We also interpret what goes on around us based on our biases, experiences, notions, education, influential people, and many more. There is a saying: “perception is reality.” I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around this, but it does tend to play out for people. Our brains are designed to develop and see patterns in life.

When a person seeks to understand something, they automatically will piece together aspects of that thing and create a pattern. This is the meaning-making that can take several different roads. If, for example, a person tries to make meaning out of some tragedy or misfortune, whether it affects them or not, and thinks that they are the cause of this event, that is the kind of thinking that could lead to depressive thoughts and feelings.

This is common. It teeters on superstition. I have known Christians who have a version of this thinking who, when some difficulty has come upon them, believe it is a consequence of disobedience. If you start to string this out over time, it could lead to the conclusion that many other difficulties in the world around you are your fault.

That kind of thinking, without serious challenge, can lead to a serious negative sense of self. And that leads to depression. Our internal conversation is not the only thing that can lead to depression; life circumstances can often be a large contributing factor.

External Causes

There are also external causes that can lead to depression, depending on the situation. How one responds to these events can be critical to a healthy resolution or can lead to an unhealthy perspective, as mentioned above. A healthy way of looking at events such as an accident, a bad interaction with a person, a tragedy, or a natural disaster, as being a one-time thing or extraordinary (but that will pass), can help.

When you can look at these things and decide that they don’t have anything to do with you, it is easier to resolve them internally. But most unfortunate events can also deeply affect your mood because they represent a deep loss. When there is pain, suffering, or disillusionment, the pure weight of these circumstances can be too much to bear.

Surveys have consistently shown that one of the greatest external sources of depression is the death of a loved one (Murphy, et al., p. 599). Grieving manifests in different ways, but depression is often one of them. Most often determined by how close the person was in your life.

I have had several clients whose depression went on for several years due to their loss. Imagine the loss of a child, a parent, or a spouse. That grief can be overwhelming and difficult to process and thereby pull one down into a pit of depression.

Other things mentioned in these studies were conflict with friends, the breakup of family, or failed relationships. One of our basic needs is to belong, and when conflict with loved ones or a valued relationship goes south, it can leave us feeling alone, and our sense of security is dashed. I have worked with many couples, and the prospect of having their relationship end is almost always met with dread.

It often propels them to seek couples therapy and seek a path to healing their relationship. The pain, the loss of a dream, the loneliness, and the sense of failure of that relationship can add up to a major depressive episode or prolonged depression. It hurts badly, and the perseverating thoughts that come with it often contribute to and deepen depression.

There are other common stressors in life that can deeply affect one’s mood. The most common is financial stress. Unemployment by itself can defeat even the most optimistic personality. We tend to attach a lot of self-worth to the ability to support ourselves and our family if we have one. It can set in motion a downward spiral from which it is hard to recover.

Most kinds of stress that are prolonged will lead to a buildup of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, and that buildup can upset the bio-balance and, for some, lead to depression.

Chronic stress from situations like divorce, single-parenthood, dominant personalities at work or in the family, discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, overwork, or a special needs child (and the list could go on) can lead to depression for some. Suffice it to say, these stressors, which are experienced daily, will take a toll.

Biological Causes

Some serious levels of depression are related to being pregnant and/or having given birth to a child. Most have heard of postpartum depression, but the more recent term is peripartum depression. The peri refers to the period surrounding the birth, in that it can be experienced shortly before giving birth as well as after. This is also a real thing and quite difficult to treat.

We have expectations that giving birth and the time after would be the greatest experience for a mother and often is. However, for many, it is not. Studies indicate that 13-19% of all women after giving birth meet the criteria for depression. For women who experience this, it is very distressing because they, too, think it should be the greatest thing ever to have a child.

There can be other biological causes of depression, such as seasonal affective disorder, common in the winter months when daylight is scarce. Folks in Alaska can attest to this. People with various debilitating injuries or conditions can become depressed due to the loss of mobility and related restrictions. Another biological cause is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, which can lead to a disruptive mood that reflects many of the criteria of major depressive disorder.

We know that the brain’s chemistry has a significant impact on us. The secretion of various hormones in our bodies can have a great impact on our moods and mental well-being. Introducing certain chemicals into our system can also lead some to experience depression, such as illicit drugs as well as prescription medications. The mechanism of how the brain works, with the connection of brain neurons to each other, is another area that can impact mood.

Neurotransmitters are the vehicle that helps the communication of one neuron to another, which leads to our thinking, memory, and emotions. The most common neurotransmitters are serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Serotonin regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. Norepinephrine affects the body’s stress response, and Dopamine controls pleasure and motivation. You can see that if any one of these is out of balance, it can affect one’s life. The biological causes can be inherently linked to someone’s genetics.

Genetics

Another source of depression is thought to be due to genetics. Studies have confirmed that people who have first-degree relatives (parent, sibling, or child) have a 2 to 3 times greater likelihood of having depression compared with those who don’t have a relative with that history.

Of course, this brings up the classic debate between the most influential impact on the development of personality and character: nature or nurture. Studies confirm that it’s most likely both, and it’s futile to try to separate them as one being the dominant cause. Identical twin studies have shown that if one twin has depression, the other has a much greater likelihood of having it as compared with the occurrence in fraternal twins.

Exposure to Adversity and Trauma

There have been many studies on the impact of trauma and abuse in early childhood, teens, and into adulthood. Not all lead to depression, but there is plenty of evidence that exposure to such dramatic experiences can lead to depression along with other disorders. Subjecting a child to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can shatter their world.

The incomprehensible behavior of the abuser will inflict deep hurt, and the child cannot process the experience because they cannot do so. Those experiences will likely accumulate, and the child will internalize them and see themselves as being at fault.

There are other adversities where children can experience great stress and confusion, such as living in a home with an alcoholic. That experience is very disruptive to a child’s sense of security; the child will wonder what version of that parent might be coming home tonight: the drunk parent or the sober parent.

Family violence, with loud or destructive arguments, can be traumatic as well. Living with someone with a serious mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder, or a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia can lead to many traumatic experiences. Being able to know what is normal becomes impossible.

The Integrated Theory

I have set forth several possible causes of depression. I suggested at the beginning that there is no single cause but several ways to become clinically depressed. The integrated view is that each of us has certain vulnerabilities along with conditions in our lives that can send us down that road. For example, there are certain biological states that I mentioned that could be a vulnerability toward depression.

This could be combined with a psychological vulnerability such as low self-esteem, self-doubt, or fears of rejection that could tip one over the edge. Then combine that with the various stressors in life, such as personal loss, humiliation, and rejection, which can trigger the activation of stress hormones that can influence neurotransmitters.

These stressors can lead to interpersonal relationship problems and lack of needed support. When depressed, one can have negative beliefs about others and oneself, a sense of hopelessness, or dysfunctional attitudes. In essence, this describes the circling-down-the-drain experience that is so often the experience of depression.

If you identify with some of the causes and wonder if you might be depressed, first, don’t blame yourself. What you or perhaps someone you love is experiencing is a serious condition and can be treated. My next article will center on the treatment of depression.

If you are someone you know is experiencing depression or suspect they are, please feel free to contact me or someone else in our network at Spokane Christian Counseling. I can be reached at 509-569-7102 or martyr@spokanechristiancounseling.com.