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Voight, Rebecca

Prof. Cassel, Adrienne

English 1201

16 November 2021

Literature Review

How Does Depression Develop in an Individual?

When people think of the word, “depressed” people assume it is just the feeling of being

sad. Being depressed is a lot more than just feeling sad. It is a mental illness that can completely

control you and your body and mind. There is no time limit on when an individual will “stop”

being depressed. They could shake the feeling in a couple of days, weeks, or even months but,

depression never really goes away. It is like a dark cloud that creeps up on you throughout time

and keeps getting closer. Depression is a mental illness but, the question is, how does depression

develop in an individual? 

           The article, The History of Depression, written by Nancy Schimelpfening, February 25,

20202, explains what the earlier years thought about what caused an individual to have

depression. Depression has been around for many years, and it is fascinating to know what others

thought about what caused depression before actual research was done. The article, The History

of Depression mentions, “A widespread belief among even educated Romans that depression and

other mental illnesses were caused by demons and by the anger of the gods.”. The article

continues by discussing what later Centuries thought about what caused depression in an

induvial. 
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Before getting into how depression develops in an individual, it is crucial to understand

what depression is and what the symptoms are. The information being used from the CDC

websites gives the readers the knowledge of what depression is and how many people can be

affected by the mental illness. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) defines

depression “…as a sad mood lasting a long time and interferes with normal, everyday

functioning.”. The feeling of being depressed can be as simple as just feeling sad. The severity of

depression can overcome one’s thoughts, and the outcome could be suicidal intentions.

According to the CDC, “One out of every six adults will have depression at some time in their

life. Depression affects about sixteen million American adults every year.”. Depression does not

just affect adults; it can happen to anyone and any age. 

            The following article, What Causes Depression in Adults, written by Marat Bembnowka

and Jadwiga Joko-ochojska, discusses how depression can be developed in an individual by

family problems, traumatic experiences, stress, addiction, etc. The point of this article is to

explain to readers that depression may not be genetic. This article provides examples from

seasonal depression to social depression. The article mentions, “Factors such as education,

religion, value systems, social conditions, behavioral patterns also play a significant role in

developing depression.”. The authors of this article did very well explaining how depression may

not just be genetic; depression can develop in a person by a straightforward thing. 

           The article, Is Depression Genetic, written by Stephanie Faris and medically reviewed by

Vara Saripalli in April 2021, explains the causes of depression as a genetic, mental illness. This

article establishes the difference between how depression is developed, genetic, or just a random

disease one gets. The report states, “Major depressive disorder is more likely to be shared by

siblings and children.”. Of all the people with depression, 40% of those people can trace their
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depression to a genetic link. The other 60% is linked to environmental and other factors that

cause depression. This article gives the readers an understanding that depression can be

involuntary, and a person can just be born with depression just any other mental illness, 

           Lastly, the article Onset of Depression More Complex than a Brain Chemical Imbalance,

published by Harvard Health, discusses how combining genetic depression and environmental

depression affects the brain and body. The article mentions, “MDD (major depressive disorder)

can affect not only biological systems restricted to the brain but also pathophysiological

pathways within the entire body.” The article goes on to describe how depression develops in the

brain. The critical point is for readers to understand how the brain works when it comes to

depression and how it creates in the brain. 

           The question again is, how does depression develop in an individual? There isn’t one

answer to this question because depression can be caused by genetics, or it can just develop on

its own throughout time from the effects of life. Depression can be a mental illness that a person

is born with, or depression can also be caused by traumatic events in life, stress, or social issues.

Depression is a mental illness that one may not be able to control, numerous signs show a person

is depressed, but it can be easily hidden.

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Work Cited

Bembnowksa, Marta and Josko-ochojska, Jadwiga. “What Causes Depression in Adults?”

Polish Journal of Public Health. June 2015, Vol. 125 Issue 2, p116-120.

https://eds-s-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=eeb9e007-

6254-4753-94aa-576749e80b0a%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU

%3d#AN=109172388&db=a9h. Accessed 16 November 2021.

Faris, Stephanie. “Is Depression Genetic?” Healthline, 5 April 2021.

https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/genetic

Accessed 16 November 202.

“Mental Health Conditions: Depression and Anxiety”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 15 February 2021.

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html.

Accessed 16 November 2021.

“Onset of Depression More Complex than a Brain Chemical Imbalance.”

Harvard Health Publishing, 24 June 2019.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression.

Accessed 16 November 2021.

Schimelpfening, Nancy. “The History of Depression” 25 February 2020

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https://www.verywellmind.com/who-discovered-depression-1066770

Accessed 16 November 2021.