EXPLORING THE CAUSES OF DEPRESSION 1

Challenging the Serotonin Hypothesis and Exploring the Root Causes of Depression

Min Thway

Human Growth and Development throughout the Lifespan - HHG4M-01

Jacqueline De Souza

June 26th 2023

EXPLORING THE CAUSES OF DEPRESSION 2

Challenging the Serotonin Hypothesis and Exploring the Root Causes of Depression

Depression has become a widespread mental disease in the world, afflicting millions

worldwide, leaving no diversity of people behind. Its prevalence cannot be argued with. Yet, an

outdated and inadequate assumption behind its cause continues to persist; that is emotional

disorders derive from “chemical imbalance” in the brain, ignoring much of the other important

environmental factors and outside forces that equally influence the individual’s mental health

and well-being. This essay will analyze the shortcomings of the chemical imbalance hypothesis

behind the disease, and the complex and wide-ranging implications behind its causes from a

myriad of factors.

The serotonin hypothesis, which got started in the late 1960s, follows a simple and

largely unsupported explanation of depression stating that low serotonin levels in the brain are

the cause of the mood disorder (Strain, 2023). It prospered in the 1990s via the suggestion that

antidepressant drugs could solve this serotonin deficit attributed to depression. (Strain, 2023).

Studies found that the drugs helped about half the people treated with depression. Yet it cannot

be verified that just because the mechanism relieves a disease, that mechanism or the lack thereof

is the cause of the disease itself. It’s simply “backward logic” as suggested by psychiatrist Nassir

Ghaemi who stated in a Psychology Today essay (Strain, 2023).

So what are its varied causes? Depression does not have a single cause but rather affected

by many different components that are interrelating with each other, which include

undeterminable factors such as genetic, biological, and hormonal to environmental factors of

family, and sociocultural influences (Bembnowska & Josko-Ochojska, 2015). For instance,

research is now finding that depression begins well before birth by negatively affecting the

infant’s brain through maternal stress (Bembnowska & Josko-Ochojska, 2015). Further studies
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also show that depression can be inherited while estimating that people with relatives who have

depression are also 1.5 to 3 times more likely to have depression (Bembnowska & Josko-

Ochojska, 2015). Certain chemical components in the brain, which include serotonin among

many others, as well play a vital role in the development of depressive disorders (Bembnowska

& Josko-Ochojska, 2015).

Regarding environmental factors, social factors from family issues, traumatic

experiences, different types of stress, addiction, and health problems also play a large part

(Bembnowska & Josko-Ochojska, 2015). For example, interpersonal relations and conflicts

between parents and children have great influences on their development. Studies also suggest

that education pressures, expectations set by teachers & parents, and victim to bullying correlate

to the development of stress and depression in adolescents (Bembnowska & Josko-Ochojska,

2015). Last of all, other factors that can contribute to depression are a relocation of living place,

school, and mental issues related to hopelessness and the meaninglessness of life. Challenges in

sexuality, discrimination, and social stigmatization may also be accounted for (Bembnowska &

Josko-Ochojska, 2015).

In conclusion, the outdated “chemical imbalance” hypothesis oversimplifies and

overlooks the complex nature of depression, ignoring important environmental factors.

Depression is developed as an outcome of the interaction of genetics, biology, hormones, and

social influences. Therefore, the generic serotonin hypothesis fails to acknowledge the diverse

causes, symptoms, and issues experienced by different individuals. By recognizing this, we can

work toward the development of a more extensive understanding of depression and its

treatments.
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References

Bembnowska, M., & Jośko-Ochojska, J. (2015). What causes depression in adults? Polski

Merkuriusz Lekarski : Organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego, 125(2), 116-120.

https://doi.org/10.1515/pjph-2015-0037

Sanders, L. (2023, February 12). A chemical imbalance doesn't explain depression. So what

does? Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/chemical-imbalance-explain-

depression