Depression Is

Depression is a disorder involving low mood, low self esteem, and loss of pleasure. There are a variety of theories that attempt to explain depression. These areas of research include biological, psychological, and sociocultural.

Biological perspectives of depression include genetic, biochemical, brain anatomy and brain circuits. Genetic factors include family pedigree, twin studies, adoption, and the presence of a specific gene. Family pedigree is when the person’s family is examined to see if depression is passed down within families. Twins studied had been separated at birth. Findings indicated that twins whose bio-parents were depressed, have a higher probability of developing depression than twins rose by adoptive parents. It is thought that the depression is passed down by genes. The parents of adopted depressed children that were hospitalized have a higher incidence of severe depression than non-depressed adopted children’s parents. Another cause of depression is the presence of the 5-HTT gene which is responsible for the brain’s production of serotonin transporter genes. People that have this gene have lower levels of serotonin within their brain tissue.

Biochemical factors associated with depression include neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and serotonin. It was noted that depressed people have lower levels of these neurotransmitters. But some believe that serotonin maybe a neuromodulator. This regulates other neurotransmitters. If the level of serotonin is lower there is less activity and is depression more prevalent.

The endocrine system releases hormones within the body. Some theorists have found that higher levels of cortical are released within the body during periods of stress. The higher levels of cortical caused depression to increase. Melatonin is also a hormone within the endocrine system. This hormone is released only in the dark and increases depression. When there is a higher level of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) there is increased growth and survival of the neuron factor within the brain tissue and these people are less depressed.

There are several areas included within brain anatomy and brain circuits. The brain is an extensive network of nerves and circuits. Conditions within the prefrontal cortex have been found to be critical in depression. If the prefrontal cortex is not very active depression increases. Another region of the brain is the amygdala. This area has been associated with negative emotions and memories. Increased activity in this area of the brain has been linked to increases of depression. The Brodmann Area 25 is an area of the brain that is found to be smaller and more active when there is depression. Theorists think that this area may be a “depression switch” that comes and goes with episodes of depression. When the 5-HTT gene is also present the Brodmann Area 25 is also smaller and more active and therefore there is a higher incidence of depression.

The psychological view of depression was first examined by Sigmund Freud. There are similarities in clinical depression and grief. Some people are unable to accept the loss of a loved one and are stuck in the oral stage. When a death occurs they struggle more and are more prone to depression because they are still in the stage in which they are totally dependent like an infant to their parents and cannot distinguish themselves from their parents. They merge the identity of the dead person in themselves in order to regain the lost person in their mind. Then they become depressed. The psychological object relations theory states that a person’s relationship with their parents can leave them feeling unsafe and insecure. When the parent pushes their children toward excessive dependence or excessive self reliance too quickly the children are more likely to become depressed. But many people become depressed without the experience of death. When they have the concept of symbolic or imagined loss than depression can develop. In this situation the person equates their loss in some type of an event to the love of approval or love. There have also been studies with infants separated from their parents. They can become sad, cry and withdrawn. This type of depression is called anaclitic depression.

Behaviorists believe that depression results from changes in the number of rewards and punishments in someone’s life. Peter Lewinsohn developed one of the leading behavioral explanations. The positive rewards in life dwindle in some people’s lives leading them to perform fewer constructive behaviors but if their rewards begin to increase their mood increases as well.

Cognitive theorists state that people who view events in negative ways can lead to depression. Reduction in the number of rewards in someone’s life can lead to more depression. The developing of maladaptive attitudes can set the stage for negative thoughts and reactions known as the theory of negative thinking. People can also develop the theory of learned helplessness where they believe there is nothing they can do to change the negative events in their lives. These theorists also have the concept called cognitive triad. This consists of people negatively viewing their experiences, themselves and their future; therefore it can lead to depression. They also look at situations known as automatic thinking. When a person repeatedly thinks that they are inadequate or hopeless these thoughts can lead to depression.

The social cultural view of depression is greatly influenced by social context that surrounds people. The family-social perspective is people who have weak social and communication skills. People who develop weak social structures many times speak slower, take longer to respond, and pause between words in sentences. Such social deficits can make other people within their environment feel uncomfortable and consequently these people avoid such a person. This avoidance leaves the person with weak social structure. Instead of being around people and becoming more socially adept people avoid them and it can compound their depression. Depression has been linked to the inability to obtain social support. People who are isolated with no intimacy are more likely to be depressed.

The multicultural perspective examines both gender and associations between culture and ethnic backgrounds. It has been noted that women are two times more likely to develop depression than men. In the artifact theory the viewpoint is that women are more apt to seek treatment for depression than men. In the hormone explanation it is thought that depression may be triggered due to shifts of hormones within the body during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. In the life stress theory women are more prone to depression because they are more apt to live in poverty, have lower paying jobs, discrimination and home duties. The lack-of-control theory states that women are more prone for depression because they view themselves as in less control and more helpless than men. In the self-blame theory women may have more self-blame and lower levels of self esteem than men. Recently this theory has been questioned more due to changes in society. Also rumination has been contributed to depression. Women seem to continue to examine their feelings of depression and the possible causes of that depression than men; therefore they are more apt to develop depression.

Culturally it has been noted that depression is found world wide in all cultures. Researchers have noted that different countries may have different levels of the occurrence of depression, but demonstrate different signs and symptoms related to depression. Depression can be complicated when assessing multicultural aspects because of the various backgrounds and cultural values that are present.