What causes depression?

There is no single cause for depression. You are more likely to experience depression if you have had [3]:

• Stressful life events which kick-start the depression.

• A habit of thinking negatively.

• Early experiences which made you vulnerable to depression.

Symptoms:

1. Depressed mood. ... -Most of the day, nearly every day; may be subjective (e.g. feels sad, empty, hopeless) or observed by others (e.g. appears tearful); in children and adolescents, can be irritable mood

2. Loss of interest/pleasure. ... -Markedly diminished interest/pleasure in all (or almost all) activities most of the day, nearly every day; may be subjective or observed by others

3. Weight loss or gain. ... -Significant weight loss (without dieting) or gain (change of >5% body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day; in children, may be failure to gain weight as expected

4. Insomnia or hypersomnia. ... -Nearly every day

5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation. ... -Nearly every day and observable by others (not merely subjectively restless or slow)

6. Fatigue. ... -Or loss of energy, nearly every day

7. Feeling worthless or excessive/inappropriate guilt. ... -Nearly every day; guilt may be delusional; not merely self reproach or guilt about being sick

8. Decreased concentration. -Nearly every day; may be indecisiveness; may be subjective or observed by others

9. Thoughts of death/suicide -Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without specific plan, or suicide attempt, or a specific plan for suicide

There may be genes that make you more likely to develop emotional problems in general, but there is not yet any strong evidence which indicates that specific genes make you more likely to develop depression