Most people take the time to accept stressful events, such as grieving or the breakdown of a relationship. Clinical depression is a very common disease, so what causes depression? According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), about 16.2 million U.S. adults will experience major depression in any given year. It is often said that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance, but that way of speaking does not capture the complexity of the disease.
Research suggests that depression doesn't just come from having too much or too little of certain chemicals in your brain. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. A number of these forces are thought to interact to cause depression. There are several ideas about the causes of depression.
It can vary greatly between different people, and for some people, a combination of different factors can cause their depression. Some find that they get depressed for no obvious reason.