Depression has been linked to problems or imbalances in the brain, specifically with the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Of course, thats true for many chronic diseases, heart. Several physiological, psychological and environmental factors contribute to the etiology or causes of depression. Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behavior. Clinical depression consists of a group of disorders with various causes.
For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause different causes can often combine to trigger depression. These triggers are known to cause or contribute to neurotransmitter imbalances. In other words, things go wrong with behaviour and experience, because something has gone wrong with the brain. Research suggests that a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors play a role in depression. Or it could mean that in some cases, the tendency to become depressed is almost completely genetic, and in other cases it is not really genetic at all. Despite the prevalence and costly consequences of depression, there are still no validated, diagnostically useful biological tests to aid in the diagnosis of this. However, for some individuals, the intensity and persistence of depressive symptoms. Some people have an increased risk of developing depression, due to their genes, biology or personality type. Genetic factors depression often runs in families, which suggests that individuals may inherit genes that make them vulnerable to. Biological aspects of depression wiley online library. Rem sleep depends on decreased serotonin levels in the brain stem, and is impaired by compounds, such as antidepressants, that increase serotonergic tone in. Medical model treating mental disorders simply psychology. Biological causes of clinical depression continue to be studied extensively. Below is a brief discussion of the multiple biological, psychological and social factors that have been identified as being related to the development of depression.
Fundamentally, such depressive symptoms as sad mood, pessimism, and lethargy, are universal human experiences and are considered normal reactions to the struggles, disappointments, and losses of everyday life. Depression can occur along with other serious illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and parkinsons disease. Mechanisms of depression and antidepressant treatment. Among the biological factors that contribute to depression in later life are vascular lesions in the. With bipolar disorder, studies of families in which members of each generation develop bipolar disorders found that those with the illness have a somewhat. It is accepted to think in modern psychiatry that the development of depression, as well as most of other mental disorders, requires the combined effect of three factors. Biological causes of depression all about depression. This seems to be the case more so with certain types of mental illness, such as bipolar. There are several biological explanations of depression but today we will discuss 3 in particular.
Research suggests that depression doesnt spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Each type of depression is associated with different mixtures of causes. Perhaps direct experience leads individualstoformstrong,concretebeliefs about the causes or prognoses of their own mental disorders, which could be difficult to change, for example, by using biological explanations. The biological aspect of depression is very closely related to the genetic one, since an individuals genes will influence the biological working of his or her body. If both parents have bipolar disorder the likelihood of their child developing the illness. People with depression may also have changes in appetite leading to overeating or not eating enough. Other biochemical compounds and peptides may also be involved in the etiology of some forms of mood disorders. Mood disorders can cause changes in your behavior and can affect your ability to deal with routine activities, such as work or school.
Major depressive disorder mdd is very prevalent and severe psychiatric disorder with prevalence estimates ranging 5% to 20% 1, 2 and has. You may have a higher likelihood of experiencing a depressive disorder at some point in your. Hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones, is also known to cause depression in some people. These biological systems include serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters.
Certain biological, environmental, and personal factors have also been associated with the protection from or the overcoming of risk factors and adverse conditions. Pdf depressionsymptoms, causes, medications and therapies. Two of the most common mood disorders are depression and bipolar disorder. Discuss the effectiveness of one treatment for one disorder. The biological medical model of abnormality makes the assumption that psychological and behavioural abnormalities have biological causes. Depression may be caused by one factor alone or a combination of factors including biological, psychological and environmental linked to social or family environment factors. Supporters of the medical model consequently consider symptoms to be outward signs of the inner physical disorder and believe that if symptoms are grouped together and classified into a. The etiology of depression depression in parents, parenting, and. Our understanding of the causes of depression is evolving. These factors can be grouped into two broad categories biology and psychology. Great progress has been made in the understanding of brain function, the influence of neurotransmitters and hormones, and other biological processes, as well as how they may relate to the development of depression. Biological factors the biological factors that might have some effect on depression include. On their own, each one is a risk factor for depression. The medical model of mental illness treats mental disorders in the same way as a broken arm, i.
Webmd explains what research has discovered about the causes of depression from genetics to illnesses and medications to major life events. Yet for other conditions, such as depression or anxiety, the biological foundation is more nebulous. Biology of depression neurotransmitters depression. It causes prolonged feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness, and a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed. Furthermore there is a link with genetic inheritance as caspi shows that people with a short allele are more likely to develop depression after a series of. The causes of depression are not fully understood, but we do know that a combination of psychological, social, genetic and biological factors can contribute to its development. Often, mcnally notes, mental illnesses are likely to have multiple causes, including genetic, biological and environmental factors. Scientists believe that depression may also be caused by an imbalance in the important neurotransmitters of the brain. Overview of the genetics of major depressive disorder.
Major depression and genetics genetics of brain function. It proposes that low levels of serotonin are responsible for the low mood and other symptoms of depression. Infowhat causes depression centre for clinical interventions. They biological cause of depression we have studied is the serotonin hypothesis. Biologicalexplanationsofgeneralized anxietydisorder.
Sometimes people say they think they were born with depression or have always felt sad since they were young. The impact of biological factors seems to be more prominent in major depressive syndrome, where typical symptoms and signs such as. It is the combination of stressors and a preexisting vulnerability, of nature and nurture, that causes disorder. Here, we take a look at how these factors cause this condition. Biology of depression neurotransmitters a literal ton of research has been done on the causes of depression.
While the nervous system communicates with the rest of the body through electrical signals, the endocrine system communicates through. A number of genes of interest have been highli ghted, although a genetic variant, that is unequivocally associated with increased risk for. But before we dive into the 3 explanations, what exactly is meant by biological explanation of depression. Evaluate etiologies in terms of biological, cognitive andor sociocultural factors of one disorder discuss biological and psychological treatments to one or more disorders evaluate the use of biological, cognitive and sociocultural approaches to the treatment of one disorder. Genetic a biological vulnerability to depression and bipolar disorder seem to be. Pdf the problem of depression in adolescents is discussed increasingly more often. The causes of bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders may also be traced to a combination of genetic factors. Finally, we discuss diseasespecificities and aetiological factors implicated in affected biological modules. For example, rapid eye movement rem sleepthe stage in which dreaming occursmay be quick to arrive and intense in depressed people. Scientists at nimh and across the country are studying the causes of depression.
This diathesis or genetic predisposition is not sufficient to cause depression itself until it is brought out by environmental stressors beck, 2008, scher et al. This disorder most often appears in late adolescence or early adulthood, although symptoms can begin at any time of life. No one theory will completely explain the biological bases for depression because depression is really. It is estimated that 10% to 15% of the general population will experience clinical depression during their lifetime, and 5% of men and 9% of women will experience a depressive disorder in a given year, according to the world health organization. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers.
This could mean that in most cases of depression, around 50% of the cause is genetic, and around 50% is unrelated to genes psychological or physical factors. Should someone whose parent or sibling suffers from depression be. Depression is a medical condition that many people are afflicted with, where some dont even realize they are suffering from it. Biological, psychosocial, and spiritual dimensions and. People with bipolar disorder experience both dramatic highs, called manic episodes, and lows, called depressive episodes. Psychosocial factors in alcohol use and alcoholism 181 there is no single, simple explanation for why some individuals develop problems with alcohol. Some types of major depression run in families, suggesting that a biological vulnerability can be inherited. Many biological and psychological factors interact in depression, although. Biological markers and genetic factors of major depressive disorder. In general, depression can be due to a number of factors including stresses which can range from mild to severe, combined with vulnerability or predisposition to depression that can result from biological, genetic or psychological factors. It is very difficult to actually measure the level of neurotransmitters in a persons brain and their activity. Causes of depression there is no single cause for depression xgenetic a biological vulnerability to depression and bipolar disorder seem to be inherited. Depression also known as major depression or major depressive disorder is a psychiatric disorder that affects mood, behavior, and overall health. Several lines of evidence suggest that the classic neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and serotonin, play important roles in the pathogenesis of depressive illness.
Major depressive disorder mdd is a common psychiatric illness with high levels of morbidity and mortality. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there is a 10% chance that his or her child will develop the illness. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems. The wrap up depression is a chronic mental disorder that affects all areas of an individuals life. This model has been adopted by psychiatrists rather than psychologists. Depression can be triggered by traumatic life events, poor diet, genetic conditions, blood sugar imbalances, medical illness, hormone imbalance, lack of exercise, medications, drug and alcohol use, and digestive difficulties. Debjit bhowmik and others published depression symptoms, causes, medications and therapies find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate.
Biological substrates underpinning diagnosis of major depression. Volume 84, issue 1, pages a1a12, e1e8, 176 1 july 2018. Depression may be related to abnormalities in the circadian rhythm, or biological clock. One of the central findings of the large body of research that has examined the psychosocial causes, or etiology, of alcohol use is that there are multiple pathways to behavior that involves.
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