Let there be no doubt that depression is a serious mental illness that sometimes requires months and years of treatment on the road to a cure
. Millions of Americans across the United States are affected by depression each and every year. The situation becomes worse because only one third of those who suffer depression ever get treated.

Many Americans don’t want to be considered crazy, so because depression is considered a mental affliction they avoid diagnosis. Instead of being considered mentally ill, people try to manage the problem themselves. Depression is more common- place than you might think and it will not go away on its own.

Causes of Depression
What are the causes for depression? The answer isn’t that simple because there are many elements to depression. The list is quite long.

Lets examine some of the most notorious. Brain chemicals being out of proportion contributes strongly to depression. This may be the case, but what causes that imbalance? The causes can be genetic, mental or even come from the environment.

Doctors sometimes don’t find the root cause, which is true for many patients. If diagnosis of another serious medical condition happens, sometimes people become depressed.

Another cause of depression can be the emotional pain felt after losing a loved one. In many cases the loss can be very traumatic. Some depression is brought on after years of physical, emotional or sexual abuse. Substance abuse, either drug or alcohol, can also cause depression.

People’s mental states are fragile. If exposed to the wrong pressures, depression can result. In many cases depression is passed on genetically. Those afflicted have a family history of the disease . Oddly, many drugs including those that regulate depression or anxiety can cause depression. Studies and tests show a casual relation between many high blood pressure medications and depression.

Depression can result from stress. Stress itself is a complex subject with many different causes. It’s not well known, but it’s true, that stress can result from the pressures associated with positive events such as a new, high paying job.

In these cases it’s not the good event causing stress, but fear of the unknown and/or fear of ability to deserve or maintain the positive element. When friends or loved ones come into conflict with an individual – a co-worker or loved one – the result is stress. Some people have a low threshold for stress. They’re affected by events and activities that to others seem to not be stressful. By determining the cause, medical professionals have a much better chance of administering a treatment. It’s important that those who suffer depression get medical help at once.