7 Facts You Should Know About Depression

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIt Can Happen Without a ReasonIt Has Many CausesIt Is More Than SadnessIt Can Happen to KidsIt Is a Real IllnessIt Is TreatableIt Can Result in Suicide If Untreated

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

It Can Happen Without a Reason

It Has Many Causes

It Is More Than Sadness

It Can Happen to Kids

It Is a Real Illness

It Is Treatable

It Can Result in Suicide If Untreated

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Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 5 adults in the United States have received a depression diagnosis in their lifetime.

Depression is a very real and treatable illness. But myths, misunderstandings, and stigma continue to be barriers to treatment for many, and the consequences of untreated depression can be life-threatening.Here are seven things everyone should know about depression anddepressive disorders.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression

Depression Doesn’t Always Have a “Good” Reason

Sometimes people become depressed for what seems like a “good” reason—maybe they lost their job or a family member passed away. However, withclinical depression, there doesn’t necessarily have to be a reason for how you feel.

In fact, 16 million adults have depression without experiencing a negative event or facing some type of life change.This can lead to reduced compassion from others, simply because they don’t understand that depression can exist without a trigger or external stressor.

One explanation for this is that depression has been linked to an imbalance in theneurotransmittersthat help regulate moods.The theory is that having too much or too little of these chemical messengers can cause (or contribute to) depression.

So, the brain chemicals that are responsible for your mood may be out of balance, causing you to feel bad even when everything in your life is seemingly going well.

How a Person Can Be Depressed for No Reason

Many Factors Can Cause Depression

The cause of depression isn’t always completely understood, and many believe that this mental health condition is often the result of a combination of factors.The manycauses of depressioncan include:

Other potential causes of depression include the presence of a physical health condition that often co-occurs with this disease—such as cancer, diabetes, or Parkinson’s—or takingmedications that have depression as a side effect.

2:12Some Common Causes of Depression

2:12

Some Common Causes of Depression

Depression Is More Than Ordinary Sadness

Sadnessis part of being human, a natural reaction to painful circumstances that all of us experience at some point in our lives. Depression, however, is an illness with many symptoms that extend well beyond an unhappy mood.

Signs of depressioninclude:

Unfortunately, you can’t just snap yourself out of depression. If you recognize these signs, seek help from a mental health professional.

Children Are Not Immune to Depression

It’s a myth that childhood is always a joyful, carefree time. While children may not experience the same issues as adults, such aswork-related stressorfinancial pressures, this doesn’t mean that they can’t become depressed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 4.4% of children aged 3 to 17 are diagnosed with depression, or roughly 2.7 million in total.Additionally, 73.8% of children with depressionalso have anxietyand 47.2% have behavior problems.

Childhood brings its own unique set of stressors, such asbullying(whether in person oronline) and the struggle for peer acceptance. Children can also feel stressed aboutschoolwork, sports, bodily changes, or issues going on at home, like if their parents are going through a separation ordivorce.

Signs of depression in children include:

When a Child Shows Signs of DepressionIf you suspect that a child is depressed, talk to their parent or guardian. If it is your child, speak with a pediatrician or mental health professional. They may rule out any medical issues and/or refer your child to a mental health professional for further evaluation and treatment.

When a Child Shows Signs of Depression

If you suspect that a child is depressed, talk to their parent or guardian. If it is your child, speak with a pediatrician or mental health professional. They may rule out any medical issues and/or refer your child to a mental health professional for further evaluation and treatment.

What You Need to Know About Childhood Depression

Depression Is a Real Illness

Remember that 16 million adults have depression without experiencing a negative event or life change.In these individuals, disruptions in normal levels of neurotransmitters can contribute to the onset of a depressive episode. These neurotransmitters play an important role in regulating mood:

Researchers are continuing to learn more about what causes these imbalances, as well as studying other neurotransmitters that may also play a role in depression, such asacetylcholine,GABA, and glutamate.

Depression Is Treatable

There are several effective treatment options available for depression.In addition, new treatments are being developed, providing hope for people who’ve had less success with traditional depression remedies.

Your treatment should be tailored to best suit your symptoms and overall health. A combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes is often used to help alleviate symptoms of depression.

Therapy

Depending on your situation, you may participate in individual, group, family, or couplespsychotherapy. Therapy can help you better identify, understand, and learn how to cope with your depression symptoms.

While there are many different therapeutic approaches, these have been scientifically proven to treat depression:

Best Online Therapy Options

Medications

There are also many medications that have been found effective in the treatment of depression, especially when used in conjunction with psychotherapy. The classes of medications commonly prescribed to treat depression include:

Since depression treatment is not a one-size-fits-all approach, it may take some trial and error to find the medication that alleviates your symptoms with the fewestside effects.

If a medication you’ve been prescribed isn’t working, let your mental health professional know. Finding relief from your depression symptoms may require changing the dosage or trying a new medication.

Which Antidepressant Is Best for You?

Lifestyle Changes

In addition to therapy and medication, there are a few lifestyle changes that can help you better manage symptoms of depression (as well as managing medication side effects). Talk with your mental health professional to learn which changes may be best for you.

Treatment Options for Depression

Untreated Depression Is a Common Cause of Suicide

Many of thewarning signs of suicideare also signs of depression. Proper depression diagnosis and treatment are extremely important for preventing suicidal thoughts,ideations, or actions.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Suicide Prevention Tips

If You or Someone You Love Has Depression

Set up an appointment with a medical doctor or mental health professional. They can do a physical exam, run blood tests to rule out any medical conditions that mimic depression, and refer you to a mental health professional for furtherevaluationand treatment.

During the visit, you might also ask your doctor or therapist for reputable sources of depression information and support. They may be able to connect you with area resources that specialize in depression diagnosis or treatment.

How to Help Someone With Depression

24 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020.Checkroud A, Foster D, Zheutlin A, et al.Predicting barriers to treatment for depression in a U.S. national sample: A cross-sectional, proof-of-concept study.Psychiat Serv. 2018;69(8):927-934. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201800094Greenstein L.Depression doesn’t need an explanation. National Alliance on Mental Illness.Naoi M, Maruyama W, Shamoto-Nagai M.Type A monoamine oxidase and serotonin are coordinately involved in depressive disorders: from neurotransmitter imbalance to impaired neurogenesis.J Neural Transmiss. 2018;125:53-66. doi:10.1007/s00702-017-1709-8National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.Ormel J, Hartman C, Snieder H.The genetics of depression: successful genome-wide association studies introduce new challenges.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:114. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0450-5Morris BH, McGrath AC, Goldman MS, Rottenberg J.Parental depression confers greater prospective depression risk to females than males in emerging adulthood.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2014;45(1):78-89. doi:10.1007/s10578-013-0379-5Stanikova D, Zsido R, Luck T, et al.Testosterone imbalance may link depression and increased body weight in premenopausal women.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:160. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0487-5Bielen J, Melada A, Markelić I.Depression and circadian typology.Psychiatr Danub. 2015;27(2):190-2.Wichmann S, Kirschbaum C, Böhme C, Petrowski K.Cortisol stress response in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder patients.Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2017;83:135-141. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.005Wang K, Burton C, Pachankis J.Depression and substance use: towards the development of an emotion regulation model of stigma coping.Substance Use Misuse. 2018;53(5):859-866. doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1391011Sun Z.Comorbid depression and substance use on college campuses: A review.Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences. 2020. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.201214.593Cleveland Clinic.Depression.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Children’s mental health: Data & statistics.Cleveland Clinic.Depression in children.Czysz A.Impact of medical comorbidity in biomarker discovery for major depressive disorder.Psychiat Ann. 2020;50(6):239-243. doi:10.3928/00485713-20200507-02Kondziella D.The top 5 neurotransmitters from a clinical neurologist’s perspective.Neurochem Res. 2017;42(6):1767-1771 doi:10.1007/s11064-016-2101-zCuijpers P, Stringaris A, Wolpert M.Treatment outcomes for depression: challenges and opportunities.Lancet Psychiat. 2020;7(11):925-927. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30036-5Barth J, Munder T, Gerger H, et al.Comparative efficacy of seven psychotherapeutic interventions for patients with depression: A network meta-analysis.PLOS Medicine. 2013;10(5): e1001454. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001454U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Depression medicines.Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M, et al.Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action.Molecul Psychiat. 2020;26:134-150. doi:10.1038/s41380-020-00925-xKvam S, Kleppe CL, Nordhus IH, Hovland A.Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2016;202:67-86. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.063Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507National Alliance on Mental Illness.Risk of suicide.

24 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020.Checkroud A, Foster D, Zheutlin A, et al.Predicting barriers to treatment for depression in a U.S. national sample: A cross-sectional, proof-of-concept study.Psychiat Serv. 2018;69(8):927-934. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201800094Greenstein L.Depression doesn’t need an explanation. National Alliance on Mental Illness.Naoi M, Maruyama W, Shamoto-Nagai M.Type A monoamine oxidase and serotonin are coordinately involved in depressive disorders: from neurotransmitter imbalance to impaired neurogenesis.J Neural Transmiss. 2018;125:53-66. doi:10.1007/s00702-017-1709-8National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.Ormel J, Hartman C, Snieder H.The genetics of depression: successful genome-wide association studies introduce new challenges.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:114. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0450-5Morris BH, McGrath AC, Goldman MS, Rottenberg J.Parental depression confers greater prospective depression risk to females than males in emerging adulthood.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2014;45(1):78-89. doi:10.1007/s10578-013-0379-5Stanikova D, Zsido R, Luck T, et al.Testosterone imbalance may link depression and increased body weight in premenopausal women.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:160. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0487-5Bielen J, Melada A, Markelić I.Depression and circadian typology.Psychiatr Danub. 2015;27(2):190-2.Wichmann S, Kirschbaum C, Böhme C, Petrowski K.Cortisol stress response in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder patients.Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2017;83:135-141. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.005Wang K, Burton C, Pachankis J.Depression and substance use: towards the development of an emotion regulation model of stigma coping.Substance Use Misuse. 2018;53(5):859-866. doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1391011Sun Z.Comorbid depression and substance use on college campuses: A review.Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences. 2020. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.201214.593Cleveland Clinic.Depression.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Children’s mental health: Data & statistics.Cleveland Clinic.Depression in children.Czysz A.Impact of medical comorbidity in biomarker discovery for major depressive disorder.Psychiat Ann. 2020;50(6):239-243. doi:10.3928/00485713-20200507-02Kondziella D.The top 5 neurotransmitters from a clinical neurologist’s perspective.Neurochem Res. 2017;42(6):1767-1771 doi:10.1007/s11064-016-2101-zCuijpers P, Stringaris A, Wolpert M.Treatment outcomes for depression: challenges and opportunities.Lancet Psychiat. 2020;7(11):925-927. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30036-5Barth J, Munder T, Gerger H, et al.Comparative efficacy of seven psychotherapeutic interventions for patients with depression: A network meta-analysis.PLOS Medicine. 2013;10(5): e1001454. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001454U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Depression medicines.Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M, et al.Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action.Molecul Psychiat. 2020;26:134-150. doi:10.1038/s41380-020-00925-xKvam S, Kleppe CL, Nordhus IH, Hovland A.Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2016;202:67-86. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.063Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507National Alliance on Mental Illness.Risk of suicide.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020.Checkroud A, Foster D, Zheutlin A, et al.Predicting barriers to treatment for depression in a U.S. national sample: A cross-sectional, proof-of-concept study.Psychiat Serv. 2018;69(8):927-934. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201800094Greenstein L.Depression doesn’t need an explanation. National Alliance on Mental Illness.Naoi M, Maruyama W, Shamoto-Nagai M.Type A monoamine oxidase and serotonin are coordinately involved in depressive disorders: from neurotransmitter imbalance to impaired neurogenesis.J Neural Transmiss. 2018;125:53-66. doi:10.1007/s00702-017-1709-8National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.Ormel J, Hartman C, Snieder H.The genetics of depression: successful genome-wide association studies introduce new challenges.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:114. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0450-5Morris BH, McGrath AC, Goldman MS, Rottenberg J.Parental depression confers greater prospective depression risk to females than males in emerging adulthood.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2014;45(1):78-89. doi:10.1007/s10578-013-0379-5Stanikova D, Zsido R, Luck T, et al.Testosterone imbalance may link depression and increased body weight in premenopausal women.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:160. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0487-5Bielen J, Melada A, Markelić I.Depression and circadian typology.Psychiatr Danub. 2015;27(2):190-2.Wichmann S, Kirschbaum C, Böhme C, Petrowski K.Cortisol stress response in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder patients.Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2017;83:135-141. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.005Wang K, Burton C, Pachankis J.Depression and substance use: towards the development of an emotion regulation model of stigma coping.Substance Use Misuse. 2018;53(5):859-866. doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1391011Sun Z.Comorbid depression and substance use on college campuses: A review.Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences. 2020. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.201214.593Cleveland Clinic.Depression.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Children’s mental health: Data & statistics.Cleveland Clinic.Depression in children.Czysz A.Impact of medical comorbidity in biomarker discovery for major depressive disorder.Psychiat Ann. 2020;50(6):239-243. doi:10.3928/00485713-20200507-02Kondziella D.The top 5 neurotransmitters from a clinical neurologist’s perspective.Neurochem Res. 2017;42(6):1767-1771 doi:10.1007/s11064-016-2101-zCuijpers P, Stringaris A, Wolpert M.Treatment outcomes for depression: challenges and opportunities.Lancet Psychiat. 2020;7(11):925-927. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30036-5Barth J, Munder T, Gerger H, et al.Comparative efficacy of seven psychotherapeutic interventions for patients with depression: A network meta-analysis.PLOS Medicine. 2013;10(5): e1001454. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001454U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Depression medicines.Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M, et al.Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action.Molecul Psychiat. 2020;26:134-150. doi:10.1038/s41380-020-00925-xKvam S, Kleppe CL, Nordhus IH, Hovland A.Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2016;202:67-86. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.063Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507National Alliance on Mental Illness.Risk of suicide.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020.

Checkroud A, Foster D, Zheutlin A, et al.Predicting barriers to treatment for depression in a U.S. national sample: A cross-sectional, proof-of-concept study.Psychiat Serv. 2018;69(8):927-934. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201800094

Greenstein L.Depression doesn’t need an explanation. National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Naoi M, Maruyama W, Shamoto-Nagai M.Type A monoamine oxidase and serotonin are coordinately involved in depressive disorders: from neurotransmitter imbalance to impaired neurogenesis.J Neural Transmiss. 2018;125:53-66. doi:10.1007/s00702-017-1709-8

National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.

Ormel J, Hartman C, Snieder H.The genetics of depression: successful genome-wide association studies introduce new challenges.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:114. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0450-5

Morris BH, McGrath AC, Goldman MS, Rottenberg J.Parental depression confers greater prospective depression risk to females than males in emerging adulthood.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2014;45(1):78-89. doi:10.1007/s10578-013-0379-5

Stanikova D, Zsido R, Luck T, et al.Testosterone imbalance may link depression and increased body weight in premenopausal women.Translational Psychiat. 2019;9:160. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0487-5

Bielen J, Melada A, Markelić I.Depression and circadian typology.Psychiatr Danub. 2015;27(2):190-2.

Wichmann S, Kirschbaum C, Böhme C, Petrowski K.Cortisol stress response in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder patients.Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2017;83:135-141. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.005

Wang K, Burton C, Pachankis J.Depression and substance use: towards the development of an emotion regulation model of stigma coping.Substance Use Misuse. 2018;53(5):859-866. doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1391011

Sun Z.Comorbid depression and substance use on college campuses: A review.Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences. 2020. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.201214.593

Cleveland Clinic.Depression.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Children’s mental health: Data & statistics.

Cleveland Clinic.Depression in children.

Czysz A.Impact of medical comorbidity in biomarker discovery for major depressive disorder.Psychiat Ann. 2020;50(6):239-243. doi:10.3928/00485713-20200507-02

Kondziella D.The top 5 neurotransmitters from a clinical neurologist’s perspective.Neurochem Res. 2017;42(6):1767-1771 doi:10.1007/s11064-016-2101-z

Cuijpers P, Stringaris A, Wolpert M.Treatment outcomes for depression: challenges and opportunities.Lancet Psychiat. 2020;7(11):925-927. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30036-5

Barth J, Munder T, Gerger H, et al.Comparative efficacy of seven psychotherapeutic interventions for patients with depression: A network meta-analysis.PLOS Medicine. 2013;10(5): e1001454. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001454

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Depression medicines.

Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M, et al.Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action.Molecul Psychiat. 2020;26:134-150. doi:10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x

Kvam S, Kleppe CL, Nordhus IH, Hovland A.Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2016;202:67-86. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.063

Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507

National Alliance on Mental Illness.Risk of suicide.

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