Five Surprising Factors of Depression

No one wants or seeks depression, but do you know the factors that can either cause or contribute to depression? If you struggle with depression, you may have heard that serotonin has a starring role. However, what if serotonin isn’t the star of the show, and if it isn’t, who are the other cast members?

Information About Inflammation

Inflammation occurs when your body responds to threats from outside forces like bacteria, injuries, and viruses. A biological and protective response, inflammation involves body tissues, molecular mediators, immune cells, and blood vessels.

Inflammation is a necessary process for dealing with a threat, and once eliminated, making repairs. Some inflammation is necessary to prevent the destruction of cells and tissue damage by pathogens, toxins, and other threats. However, with inflammation, a little goes a long way. Chronic inflammation means your body is sending out an army of inflammatory cells when they are not needed.

Chronic inflammation is thought to cause depression since it can derail brain function by damaging neurons and generating toxic molecules that contribute to a depressed state.

Your Gut Puts You in a Rut

Your brain is like a manager who loves to gossip and the gut is where it goes to get the goods. The info exchanged between the brain and gut has an effect on our moods and cognitive processes. Researchers believe that bacteria in our gut also influence brain function, the immune system, and inflammation. Problems with our gut lining or microbes and immune cells in the gut play a major role in our mental health.

Wiring can be Tiring

Your brain is being rewired all the time. Neurons connect with other neurons and non-neuron brain cells as if they are on a dating app looking for love. This process is thought to play a role in mood disorders like depression. Issues with the quality and type of connections our neurons make can lead to depression symptoms the same way our own lack of human connections does.

Stress Creates a Mess

A stressful event increases the likelihood of a depressive episode. Stress causes issues with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is thought to contribute to depression by damaging both neurons and the hippocampus while increasing inflammation.

Feeling Strange from a Hormone Change

Several hormones are thought to play a role in depression. One of these hormones is estrogen. The declining levels of estrogen may account for the higher rates of depression in women during and after experiencing menopause.

Another important hormone that may affect depression is insulin. In fact, a common complaint of those suffering insulin resistance – a condition of metabolic dysfunction characterized by the body’s inability to sense insulin and use glucose – is the symptom of depression.

What Can You Do?

If any of these factors apply to you, don’t worry, there are simple ways to combat these chauffeurs of the blues. Some modifications to your normal routine can make a big difference. These include:

• Exercise – consider taking a physical fitness class like kickboxing, martial arts, or yoga, join a gym or run, walk, or cycle.
• Dietary Changes – certain foods make us more susceptible to depression, so eat healthier foods and consult with your doctor or a nutritionist if you don’t know where to start.
• Daily Meditation – fifteen minutes is all it takes for meditation to have a positive effect. There are even meditation apps you can try out that will remind you to take time to be mindful.
• Daily Time Spent in Nature – we need time outside. Get out and enjoy the beauty of nature. Take the time to look at insects, birds, plants, and flowers. Feel the grass, touch water, and take a moment to feel the things you touch. Smell the flowers, literally.
• Sleep – getting the right amount of sleep is vital for your health, including your mental health. In fact, if you are depressed, a lack of sleep can be a culprit. Make sure you get between seven and eight hours. Unplugging hours before bed, avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening, and sleeping away from devices in a quiet, dark room without any light are ways to help get better zzz’s.
• Stress-Lowering Interventions – focusing on your breathing, guided imagery, relaxing all your muscles group by group, creating artwork, or even taking a walk are all options for lowering stress.
• Therapy – helps you identify and tackle negative thought patterns and behaviors.
• Conventional Antidepressants – there are a variety of medications available to help treat depression.

Remember, depression doesn’t define you. You happen to be depressed. Perhaps due to one or more of the reasons listed here. Perhaps not. You may not know why you are depressed. The important part is you can get help. You may have depression and feel depression, but that doesn’t mean you are depression.

An experienced therapist can help you escape the vicious cycle of depression. If you have questions about depression or therapy here in Jacksonville, FL, please reach out to us!