What causes depression

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What are the cause of depression, and hos this influences to suicide?

-- Edilberto Lopez (Devil@onthesky.com), March 13, 2002

Answers

This is a question to which no one has a certain answer as yet. There are certain neurochemical correlates of major depression, but it is not clear that these correlates are actually the cause of depression. There are a number of pharmaceutical treatments for depression, the best know of which is probably "prozac," but they all have side-effects that many people find unpleasant. There are also "talk" therapies that are effective, especially when combined with drug therapy. Generally spekaing, cognitive therapy is, I believe, regarded as the most effective form of talk therapy for depression. If this is an important concern for you, you should consult a psychiatrist or licensed clinical psychologist.

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), March 13, 2002.

There is a recent summary of information on depression on the website for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

http://www.aamft.org/families/Consumer_Updates/Depression.htm

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@earthlink.net), March 14, 2002.


Edilberto.....the brain is truly fabulous instrument that issues warning-lights to inform us whenever something's wrong and needs taking care of.

One of these, arrives in the form of depression, asking us to become like a detective in search of clues as to its cause.

This cause is almost always a benign none.

It could be, for instance, that the personality has been overwhelmed by too much work or too many other demands being made on it, causing a logical exhaustion for which depression arrives to enforce a period of rest.

It could also be, that the personality has not allowed itself to express anger (either verbally or in written form) and that it now directs all its excess anger towards itself. This would create an internal terrorist from which the personality then seeks to escape via suicidal thoughts that ignite the brain's secondary warning-lights.

Recognizing these warning-lights and experiencing them as being protective, instead of frightening, is a skill every person might wish to practice. Getting to know one's own needs is like climbing a mountain while discovering the value of intellectual understanding, learning to feel a deep concern for one's own personality, and treating one's self with authentic human kindness.

Life is good, at the apex :-)

-- visualize me (visualizeme@webtv.net), March 14, 2002.


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