Medical Minute: What causes depression?
Last Updated: Jan 20 2025
What triggers depression?
There are many different theories in medicine for what causes depression.
The previously popular notion that it is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain has been proven wrong, however many other theories still exist, including changes in your brain structures, inflammation, telomere length, circadian rhythms, and more.
However, looking only at our brains to find answers to complex human problems is a bit like looking at a kitchen after someone has gone on an eating spree and assuming that the cause of an expanding waistline is an empty pantry. You have to look at the whole picture to understand what’s actually going on.
Instead, using what geriatricians call a “bio-psycho-social” approach, depression can be understood as a sign that a person’s circumstances are not in alignment with who they want to be in life.
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