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Voight, Rebecca

Prof. Cassel, Adrienne

ENG 1201

6 December 2021

Research Essay

How Does Depression Develop in an Individual?

For as long as I can remember, I have always been "sad," better word to use is depressed.

I'm not sure when it started, but I know it has never gone away. I have my good days where it

seems like being "sad" is nearly impossible for me. Then out of nowhere, that feeling of a heavy

dark cloud comes back to haunt me, and once again, that sad feeling known as depression comes

back. There are days where I don’t want to get out of bed, I’ll just lay there, in the dark and cry,

for reasons that I don’t know. There are days where I feel perfectly fine but then all the sudden, I

just have a breaking moment. I can’t help to think that something is wrong with me. I have

always been curious about how I've became depressed and why it always outstays its welcome in

my life. People would tell me that I’m just sad and that depression isn’t real, it is all in my head.

So, are they right? Is it all in my head? If depression is real then how did I become depressed,

and why am I stuck with it? I’m stuck with it because depression can be developed through the

genetic make-up of an individual, a traumatic event in an individual’s life, an imbalance

chemical in the brain, or a combination of these.

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During the early years of depression in the second millennium B.C.E Mesopotamia,

Ancient Greek and Roman times, and the Common Era, depression was viewed as an individual

being possessed by demons or witches. With the idea that a person was depressed because of

demons or witches, priests usually helped rather than physicians. Since the person was

possessed, cultures would often perform harsh punishments in the attempt to get the demon out

of them. Sometimes depression was treated with methods like bloodletting, baths, exercise, and

diets but even with that type of treatment, to avoid harsher treatments, it was still a spiritual

matter, it was still demons. “It was not until a Persian doctor named Rhazes (865–925 CE) did

see mental illness as arising from the brain” (Schimelpfening). With Rhazes discovering that

depression comes from the brain, more doctors realized the cause of depression was more natural

than supernatural.

In the 18th and 19th Centuries, depression was viewed as inherited, and it could not be

changed. With this outlook, people were often locked up and shunned because of their

depression. “During the Age of Enlightenment, other doctors of this time spoke of depression as

resulting from internal conflicts between what you want and what you know is right”

(Schimelpfening). In the 1950s is when drug therapy became a thing. So, instead of all these

other ridiculous treatment methods for depression, doctors started to prescribe medication, what

we now use to treat people with depression.

What is depression now, and who can suffer from it? Can depression be life threatening?

Depression is a mental illness that can affect an individual's everyday life. Anyone can suffer

from depression at any time, there is no age limit nor time limit. Even though depression is not

common in children under the age of 12, it can still occur. Majority of the factors of children

feeling depressed can come from their home life. Between the ages of 12 and 18, the depression
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feeling is more common because of social life, like school and friends. Ages 19 and 29 due to

major life changes young adults can develop the mental illness. Adults ages between 30-60 the

cause of depression is usually triggered by something. With elderly people, depression is part of

growing older. The symptoms can cause some people to develop other mental illnesses, like

anxiety. Some symptoms can be more severe than others, it can potentially be life threatening. In

some cases, depression can get so bad that it can lead to an induvial taking their own life because

they feel like that is the only way to escape the feeling of depression. It is unfortunate but it does

happen a lot more than people think. Suicide is the 10th leading causes of death in the United

States. “In 2019 about 1.38 million Americans attempted suicide and 47, 511 died by suicide”

(AFSP). On average there is about 130 suicides a day. Suicide can be prevented if the correct

help is there for people who suffer from depression. Picture 1, Suicide Rates 2019 (AFSP).

The photo above (AFSP), shows suicide rates by age, showing that at any age an

individual can be so depressed that they feel like taking their own life is the only thing that will

help.

Not all people who suffer from depression have suicidal intentions. People may all have

different symptoms, some are more noticeable than others. Symptoms can be sleeping too much
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or not all at, loss of appetite, feeling lethargic, or just being sad for unknown reasons. It can be

easily hidden and that is why it can be hard to detect if someone suffers from the illness. A lot of

people can hide their depression by a fake smile and pretending that they are okay. Depression is

so common that majority of people will experience. It can slowly develop and come out of

nowhere one day. It can also be an illness that they had their whole life and was not aware of it

until something happened in their life. Picture 2 (NIH) below, shows the percentage of how often

adults in the United States experienced depression in the year 2019.

The photo above (NIH), shows how often adults in the United States suffer from

depression. Depression is more common than what people realize. People experience depression

in different ways and how they develop depression is different as well. It is not all the same.

There are several different types of depression. There is significant depression which usually

lasts longer than two weeks and affects a person's daily life. A persistent depressive disorder

often has less severe but lasts longer, usually two years. Seasonal affective disorder or seasonal

depression comes and goes with the seasons. Bipolar, which is also known as manic depressive,

the symptoms are different but still considered as depression. Perinatal depression, women may
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experience this after a significant life change like being pregnant or giving birth. Lastly, PMDD,

this type of depression usually occurs after ovulation and ends once menstruation starts.

Does the cause of depression in an individual come from family problems, traumatic

experiences, stress, addiction, etc.? Early depression symptoms, long-time exposure to stress,

challenges, or adversities, all young people must deal with, are breeding grounds for risky

behaviors among young adults. “Young adults and teens are more likely to reach for different

kinds of stimulants like alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. It has also been proven that anti-health

behaviors may cause depression in the future” (MARTA and JADWIGA). Even factors such as

education, value systems, and religion can a significant role in the development of depression.

Along with anti-health behaviors driving depression, stress plays a vital role in depression. If the

stress in the body doesn’t last long, then the body will usually return to normal. If the stress in

the body stays for too long, then the body will go into overdrive. It is known that not only stress

but, early loss and trauma can play a huge role in an individual developing depression. Early loss

and trauma can may lead some people more open to develop depression later in their life.

Traumatic events can cause changing in the brain function that lead to symptoms of depression.

Even though depression is known to come from social and traumatic life events can it

still develop through genetics? Yes. “A person who has a relative with depression is almost five

times as likely to develop it compared to someone who doesn't have a relative with depression”

(Faris). If a person's mom or dad suffered from depression, it would make sense that their baby

may suffer from depression as well because of genetics. During pregnancy, it has been found that

if the mother is stressed or depressed, those emotions and illnesses can be inherited to the

newborn baby. When it comes to mental illness that runs in the family, it is known that the

mental illness will make its way through the family because of genetics. The best use for the
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research is the use of twins in a family. With identical twins, who share the same genetics, one

will have a mental illness, like depression, and the other twin would have an 80% chance of

having the same mental illness. When it comes to siblings who are not identical, that 80% chance

drops down to a 20% chance of having the same disease.

It is usually said that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain or the

imbalance of serotonin. Serotonin levels and depression can be linked to one another. Serotonin

is known as a “feel good” chemical within the brain neurons. It is possible that the imbalance of

serotonin can lead to depression and other issues. “The popular lore is where emotions reside in

the heart. Science, though, tracks the seat of your feelings to the brain. Certain areas of the brain

help regulate mood. Researchers believe that more important than levels of specific brain

chemicals, nerve cell connections, nerve cell growth, and the functioning of nerve circuits have a

significant impact on depression” (Harvard Health). When all these factors of the brain don’t do

their “job” correctly there is chance that the system can shut off, which leads to depression.

Pushing the system off is another way of saying an individual could have a mental breakdown.

The minor thing in a person's life can send them off the edge and go into a full panic mode and

shut down. That shutting down stage is when depression kicks in the most. When the system

goes off balance, there is no estimated time on when that individual will start to feel “better”.

The feeling of severe depression can last a couple hours, days, even weeks until that person finds

their way out of the dark. A person may feel better that does mean they got rid of the depression,

depression may never go away. There is the good days and bad days. Picture 3 (Harvard Health)

below shows how the brain is triggered by depression.

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The picture above (Harvard Health), shows the brain and all the parts of the brain that are

affected by depression. The main parts affected are the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the

thalamus. The amygdala becomes active when an individual recalls anything emotional or

traumatic that happened in their life and the activity becomes higher when an individual is

depressed or sad. The hippocampus job is to process memories and this part of the brain can be

minor in people who have depression. The thalamus is part of the brain where behavior problems

and thinking come from. Problems in the thalamus is what causes mental illness.

It is asked if depression is curable. Depression is a mental illness that has no timeline on

when it gets cured. It can be a lifelong experience in which side effects can peak from time to

time, but it can be treated. Depression can be treated, just like any other mental illness through a

course medication, psychotherapy, and brain stimulation therapy. Medications usually take

anywhere from four to eight weeks to show any signs that it is working. Some doctors may try a

numerous of different types of medications to see which works best for the individual.

Psychotherapy, also known as counseling, helps by having individuals talk about their

depression, giving them new ways to change habits that may trigger the depression. Brain
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stimulation therapy involves activating or inhibiting the brain directly with electricity or

magnetic waves. This form of therapy is newer and still experimental. Even with all these ways

of treating depression is it still important that an individual takes time for themselves so they

don’t hit that “breaking point”.

So, the question again is, how does depression develop in an individual? Is it created by

some traumatic life experience or stress? Is it produced by genetics? Is depression the result of

imbalanced chemicals in the brain? Is depression real? The answer is yes. The answer is yes to

all those questions. Depression can be developed through the genetic make-up of an individual, a

traumatic event in an individual’s life, an imbalance chemical in the brain The combination of all

three factors is the major cause of depression. If anyone has ever experienced trauma, tragic loss,

anything related to trauma they can get depression. Anyone who has the mental illness that run in

their family, they are at risk at developing depression.

I always wanted to know why I was depressed, assuming that something was just wrong

with me. Nothing is wrong with me; my depression came from all three factors that caused it.

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. It is a

complex mental illness that research is still being done about it as of today. Depression is a real

mental illness. Telling people that it is not real, they are just sad, and it is all in their head can

make the depression worse for them. There are serious side effects that comes from the mental

illness, it is important to not ignore those signs of depression. I know from experience, if an

individual needs help, they must get it. Depression is more common than people think, it can be
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dangerous, it can life changing but people need to know that they are not alone in the fight

against it.
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Work Cited

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Suicide Statistics”

http://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/. Accessed 24 November 2021.

BEMBNOWSKA, MARTA, and JADWIGA JOSKO-OCHOJSKA. “What Causes Depression in

Adults?”

Polish Journal of Public Health, vol. 125, no. 2, June 2015, pp. 116-120.

EBSOhost, doi:10.1515/pjph-2015-0037. 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.

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

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

Accessed 16 November 2021.

“What is Depression?” National Institute of Mental Health.

NIH Publication No. 21-MH-8079. Revised 2021

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression. Accessed 16 November 2021.