Major Depressive Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

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Table of Contents

Symptoms

Types

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Coping

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Depression, also referred to asclinical depressionor major depressive disorder, is a medical condition that is classified as a mood disorder.It can affect how you feel and your ability to function on a day-to-day basis.

While everyone tends to feel sad or low from time to time, feeling that way for weeks or months at a time could mean you have depression.

If you suspect you may have depression, you’re not alone. Over 8% of adults living in the United States have experienced at least one major depressive episode.

At a Glance

Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder

Everyone experiences depression differently. While some people may have a few symptoms, others may have many. The frequency, severity, and duration of the symptoms can also vary from person to person.

These are some of the symptoms of major depressive disorder you may experience:

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.

Types of Depression

Depression may take different forms, or develop under certain circumstances. Accordingly, it may be classified into differenttypes of depression, one of which is major depressive disorder.

The types of depression include:

Depression Statistics Everyone Should Know

Causes of Major Depressive Disorder

The exactcauses of major depressive disorderare not fully understood, but experts believe that several different factors cause it. Some factors that may contribute to the onset of major depressive disorder include genetics, stress, certain medical conditions, and brain chemistry.

Certain genetic, biological, psychological, and environmental factors can increase the chances of someone developing depression; however, it’s important to remember that anyone can develop depression.

The potential causes and risk factors for depression include:

Biochemistry

Having differences in the levels of certainbrain chemicalscan make you more prone to developing depression. The most recent evidence indicates that chemical imbalances in the brain are not the primary cause of depression.Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine do play an important role in mood, which is why antidepressant medications that affect neurotransmitter levels may be helpful.

Genetic Factors

Genescan play a role in depression. Having a relative with depression can increase your chances of developing depression.

Having a genetic risk for depression does not necessarily mean that you will develop the condition. Instead, it is believed that the interaction of genetic and environmental factors is what determines if someone experiences depression.

If you have a close relative with depression (such as a parent, sibling, or child), your risk of also developing the condition is around three times higher than that of the general population.

Personal Medical History

You may be more likely to develop depression if you have had it before. One of the best predictors of whether you will experience depression in the future is whether you’ve experienced it in the past.

Research suggests that around 70% of people who’ve had two episodes of major depressive disorder in the past will have a recurring episode in the future.

Gender

Womenmay be twice as likely to develop depression than men.Factorscontributing to this increased riskinclude hormonal differences, socialization differences, and greater life stress.

Life Events

Trauma, the death of a loved one, major life changes, and other upsetting events can cause depression.People who experience trauma in childhood have a higher risk of developing depression as adults.

Stress

Stress can affect you physically and mentally, and increase your risk of developing depression.

Isolation

Lack ofsupportand social isolation can increase the chances of developing depression. Unfortunately,social withdrawalis a common symptom of depression.

Medical Conditions

Depression may occur along with chronic or serious medical conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Having depression can worsen these conditions.

Medication

Some medicines can cause depression as a side effect. Some medications that can have depression as a side effect include:

Substances

Substances such as alcohol or drugs can cause or exacerbate depression. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people who feel depressed to use alcohol or substances as a way to cope. However, alcohol can affect the brain in ways thatworsen depression.

Personality

People who have difficulty coping with various life events may be more prone to developing depression. People who are low inextraversionand high inneuroticismhave a higher risk of developing depression.

Why Am I Depressed for No Reason?

Diagnosing Major Depressive Disorder

If you or a loved one have been feeling depressed and low, seek help as soon as possible. You can reach out to a mental healthcare provider or contact your primary care doctor for a diagnosis or referral.

Your healthcare provider will ask you a series of questions that will likely cover yoursymptoms, thoughts and feelings, and medical history. They may need to perform a physical or psychological exam, or conduct lab tests, in order to rule out other health conditions that can cause similar symptoms.

Your healthcare provider will determine whether or not your symptoms meet thediagnostic criteriafor major depressive disorder, which include:

Physical Symptoms of Depression

Treating Major Depressive Disorder

While depression is a serious condition, it can be treated. In fact, between 80% to 90% of people with depression respond well to treatment, and almost all patients get some relief from their symptoms.

It’s important to seek treatment for depression as soon as possible, because the earlier it is treated, the more effective the treatment can be.Ignoring the symptoms of depression and leaving it untreated can lead to self-harm or death.

Treatment for depressionmay involve medication, therapy, or brain stimulation. The treatment modalities chosen can depend on the severity of the depression and your individual needs.

There are many different kinds of antidepressants, so you may need to try a few different types before you find the one that works best for you.

However, it’s important to note that antidepressants can take a fewweeks or monthsto improve your mood, so you need to give the medication time to reach its full effect.

Therapy

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, can help treat depression. For mild cases of depression, your healthcare provider may recommend only psychotherapy, whereas for moderate to severe cases, a combination of medication and therapy may be recommended.

These are some of thetypes of therapythat can help treat depression:

You should expect to start feeling better after the first 10 to 15 sessions of therapy.The length of treatment can vary depending on how severe the depression is.

Brain Stimulation

Certain medical procedures known as brain stimulation therapies can help with severe cases of depression that aren’t responding to medication or therapy. The different types of brain stimulation include:

An Overview of Treatment-Resistant Depression

Coping With Major Depressive Disorder

These are some tips that can help youcope with depression:

What’s the Connection Between Alcohol and Depression?

Takeaway

If you or someone you know are experiencingdepression, it’simportant to seek treatment for it. Treatment can reduce the symptoms, help you cope, and enable you to function on a day-to-day basis.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression

18 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.National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.National Institute of Aging.Depression and older adults.Otte C, Gold SM, Penninx BW, et al.Major depressive disorder.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16065. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.65Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0Kwong ASF, López-López JA, Hammerton G, et al.Genetic and environmental risk factors associated with trajectories of depression symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(6):e196587. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6587Dunn EC, Brown RC, Dai Y, et al.Genetic determinants of depression: recent findings and future directions.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(1):1-18. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000054Lye MS, Tey YY, Tor YS, et al.Predictors of recurrence of major depressive disorder.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0230363. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230363Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Phillips ML.Major depressive disorder: new clinical, neurobiological, and treatment perspectives.Lancet. 2012;379(9820):1045-1055. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60602-8Ebert DD, Buntrock C, Mortier P, et al.Prediction of major depressive disorder onset in college students.Depress Anxiety. 2019;36(4):294-304. doi:10.1002/da.22867Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507Rosenblat JD, Kurdyak P, Cosci F, et al.Depression in the medically ill.Aust N Z J Psychiatry.2020;54(4):346-366. doi:10.1177/0004867419888576Yu T, Hu J.Extraversion and neuroticism on college freshmen’s depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of social support.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:822699. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.822699American Psychiatric Association.What is depression?Mount Sinai.Depression.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Major depression.Xie Y, Wu Z, Sun L, et al.The effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:705559. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.705559Additional ReadingCleveland Clinic.Depression.National Library of Medicine.Depression.Medline Plus.

18 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.National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.National Institute of Aging.Depression and older adults.Otte C, Gold SM, Penninx BW, et al.Major depressive disorder.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16065. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.65Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0Kwong ASF, López-López JA, Hammerton G, et al.Genetic and environmental risk factors associated with trajectories of depression symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(6):e196587. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6587Dunn EC, Brown RC, Dai Y, et al.Genetic determinants of depression: recent findings and future directions.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(1):1-18. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000054Lye MS, Tey YY, Tor YS, et al.Predictors of recurrence of major depressive disorder.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0230363. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230363Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Phillips ML.Major depressive disorder: new clinical, neurobiological, and treatment perspectives.Lancet. 2012;379(9820):1045-1055. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60602-8Ebert DD, Buntrock C, Mortier P, et al.Prediction of major depressive disorder onset in college students.Depress Anxiety. 2019;36(4):294-304. doi:10.1002/da.22867Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507Rosenblat JD, Kurdyak P, Cosci F, et al.Depression in the medically ill.Aust N Z J Psychiatry.2020;54(4):346-366. doi:10.1177/0004867419888576Yu T, Hu J.Extraversion and neuroticism on college freshmen’s depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of social support.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:822699. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.822699American Psychiatric Association.What is depression?Mount Sinai.Depression.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Major depression.Xie Y, Wu Z, Sun L, et al.The effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:705559. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.705559Additional ReadingCleveland Clinic.Depression.National Library of Medicine.Depression.Medline Plus.

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.

National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.National Institute of Aging.Depression and older adults.Otte C, Gold SM, Penninx BW, et al.Major depressive disorder.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16065. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.65Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0Kwong ASF, López-López JA, Hammerton G, et al.Genetic and environmental risk factors associated with trajectories of depression symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(6):e196587. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6587Dunn EC, Brown RC, Dai Y, et al.Genetic determinants of depression: recent findings and future directions.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(1):1-18. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000054Lye MS, Tey YY, Tor YS, et al.Predictors of recurrence of major depressive disorder.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0230363. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230363Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Phillips ML.Major depressive disorder: new clinical, neurobiological, and treatment perspectives.Lancet. 2012;379(9820):1045-1055. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60602-8Ebert DD, Buntrock C, Mortier P, et al.Prediction of major depressive disorder onset in college students.Depress Anxiety. 2019;36(4):294-304. doi:10.1002/da.22867Yang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, et al.The effects of psychological stress on depression.Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):494-504. doi:10.2174/1570159X1304150831150507Rosenblat JD, Kurdyak P, Cosci F, et al.Depression in the medically ill.Aust N Z J Psychiatry.2020;54(4):346-366. doi:10.1177/0004867419888576Yu T, Hu J.Extraversion and neuroticism on college freshmen’s depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of social support.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:822699. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.822699American Psychiatric Association.What is depression?Mount Sinai.Depression.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Major depression.Xie Y, Wu Z, Sun L, et al.The effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:705559. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.705559

National Institute of Mental Health.Depression.

National Institute of Mental Health.Major depression.

National Institute of Aging.Depression and older adults.

Otte C, Gold SM, Penninx BW, et al.Major depressive disorder.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16065. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.65

Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0

Kwong ASF, López-López JA, Hammerton G, et al.Genetic and environmental risk factors associated with trajectories of depression symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood.JAMA Netw Open.2019;2(6):e196587. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6587

Dunn EC, Brown RC, Dai Y, et al.Genetic determinants of depression: recent findings and future directions.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(1):1-18. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000054

Lye MS, Tey YY, Tor YS, et al.Predictors of recurrence of major depressive disorder.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0230363. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230363

Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Phillips ML.Major depressive disorder: new clinical, neurobiological, and treatment perspectives.Lancet. 2012;379(9820):1045-1055. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60602-8

Ebert DD, Buntrock C, Mortier P, et al.Prediction of major depressive disorder onset in college students.Depress Anxiety. 2019;36(4):294-304. doi:10.1002/da.22867

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

Rosenblat JD, Kurdyak P, Cosci F, et al.Depression in the medically ill.Aust N Z J Psychiatry.2020;54(4):346-366. doi:10.1177/0004867419888576

Yu T, Hu J.Extraversion and neuroticism on college freshmen’s depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of social support.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:822699. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.822699

American Psychiatric Association.What is depression?

Mount Sinai.Depression.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Major depression.

Xie Y, Wu Z, Sun L, et al.The effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:705559. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.705559

Cleveland Clinic.Depression.National Library of Medicine.Depression.Medline Plus.

Cleveland Clinic.Depression.

National Library of Medicine.Depression.Medline Plus.

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