Origins of depression and how to identify it...

[empty]

I don't know if this actually fits in here, in Ethos, Mores, et Monastica... What I meant is why do we have depression? What are the origins of it? Since when do we have it? Since rationality? What are the better cures for it? What factors make it happen? How can we identify it? Is it heredetary? What's its point of "climax" ?
I like to think of this like the disease with most philosofical questions related to it. It probably envolves lots os skills from the psychiatrist to cure it. That's the reason why I've post this here: to know more about these kind of decaying feelings.

I think the human being is the only one with this kind of disease...
The factors I know are: abscence of light, some climes, I personally think monotony (speaking of routine), the existential theory, abscence of love and more things I can't remember right now.
I also think that it's an heredetary disease (correct me if I'm wrong!).
It's point of climax is when people suicide, I bet.
We can't identify it, unless the person is pretty extrovert. It depends on the personality.
Some senses influence it, I think: like music for example...

Correct me if I'm wrong (in spelling and ideas, please). I'm not an english guy, I'm portuguese, so I don't have the obligation to express myself correctly in this language (but I wished to, lol).

Hope you'll like this idea.

[Real]

I wouldn't say it is hereditary.

If a man had lived sadly for all his life and felt joy only at the birth of his offspring, doesn't mean that the son is unhappy or easily falls to depression. That man can be always mad, sad and in pure depression because of his conditions (may be poor, overworking, someone dear died or left him) and his son be successful in life.

Now taking personnal examples. Inês (and please don't tell her I spoke about this with you) has two parents that are always mad at her, wanting more from her, always working and are conservators (=conservadores?) but she is the happiest person I have ever known!

[empty]

I wouldn't say it is hereditary.

If a man had lived sadly for all his life and felt joy only at the birth of his offspring, doesn't mean that the son is unhappy or easily falls to depression. That man can be always mad, sad and in pure depression because of his conditions (may be poor, overworking, someone dear died or left him) and his son be successful in life.

Now taking personnal examples. Inês (and please don't tell her I spoke about this with you) has two parents that are always mad at her, wanting more from her, always working and are conservators (=conservadores?) but she is the happiest person I have ever known!

Depression is sometimes an heredetary disease... you have high probabilities of having depression, if someone in your family has; also, there's a medecine area where people study these kind of heredetary diseases...

It also can be reflected in automutilation.

[Real]

Depression is sometimes an heredetary disease... you have high probabilities of having depression, if someone in your family has; also, there's a medecine area where people study these kind of heredetary diseases...

It also can be reflected in automutilation.

I... didn't understand the smiley at the end of such sentence, but I'll get on with the matter.

If my father is depressed, it doesn't mean I have to be depressed. Maybe by pressure or emotional connection. For example, if I got to start dating Inês and practiced Equitation every day, had good marks and had my friends nearby I would be happy. Meanwhile, my father is in depression because he's overworking, is never with his family and angry at his friends. Gets home at 3am and can't sleep after working 16 hours in a row (yes, that happened to him once, but is not happening right now). Doesn't mean I have to be in depression, when I'm right on the best condition of my life.
Right now I'm in a bridge that's almost breaking, and if I fall to one side, there's a web that will save me: happiness; the other side is depression. Many things are changing in my life right now, many atitudes are changing, I'm not the boy who always wants to help everyone and stay in front of a monitor all day, I'm a realistic adolescent who knows that if he wants to survive in this miserable world, he need to think about him before the hundreds of homeless people in Africa, I don't even know if the money really goes there, I have to reduce my time in front of this mechanical highway to Hell and be more in touch eith Nature. My current situation will change tommorow, I think. Tommorow I will decide which side of the bridge I will jump to. And I doesn't depend on me! A strong wind can push me to the bad side, even though I try to reach the web with all my strengh. That wind is the girl I love. She has an incredible power over me and doesn't know. I would not hesitate before the decision of dying for her. A simple word of her can make me the happiest guy in this ****ed up world or the most miserable disgusting creature who wants to die of a slow and painful way...

*fingers burn*

I... should... stop... writing... now...

[Lusted]

Well the origins of my depression are:

lack of job, poor social life, complete abscence of love life, lack of sun light due to lack of social life.

I do not think depression is hereditary, everyone can get it.

As for how to identify if someone is depressed, everyone gives off little signs when you talk to them that can give you a rough idea. Little comments they make, or a look on thier face when they say something can give away if someone has depression or not.

Depression for me seems to come in patches. I will have my up patches for a few months, then i'll have a down patch for a few weeks, then i'll be up again.

And yes at its worse you can become suicidal.

[Stalins Ghost]

Depression is a chemical imbalance in 70% of all people who suffer. Around 60-70% of people who suffer from it inherit depression. Trust me on this, I know from first hand experience.

Most people do not understand it, and this is very difficult for some people to cope with. Often, you'll find one family with no history with depression will not be able to comprehend that of say, the marriage partner of one of its sons or daughters. They just will not be able to understand the medical help, in the form normally of medication, that is generally needed to really do much with helping depression. I realise I'm not making too much sense, but its a kind of awkward subject really, at least for me.

Its one of those areas of humanity whose treatment and understanding are in its extreme infancy. We don't really know how the brain works yet, and depression is an aspect particuarly hard to explain, but it is in most people a chemical imbalance.

[Lusted]

Depression is a chemical imbalance in 70% of all people who suffer. Around 60-70% of people who suffer from it inherit depression. Trust me on this, I know from first hand experience.

Im part of the 30-40% who don't inherit, or at least i don't think my parents suffer from it.

And i've never actually been diagonsed with depression, but, well, given the fact i can get suicidal at times, and i've talked to a friend who suffers from clinical depression, they're pretty sure i do have depression. Though not that severe most of the time.

[LoZz]

depression is quite simple, it comes from being unhappy or sad, this could be anything from a loss of a love one too simple little things that are not right in your life.

everyone will go threw a stage of being depressed, it may be a few hours, it may be years.

and even if it can be inherited it will only effect you if your not happy with your life for what ever reason,

[SickBoy13]

Yes, depression is a medical disease. Up until recently, people have been saying that it is just sadness. That is ****.
It is some sort of chemical imbalance in the brain.

[Nurab Sol]

I've often found people are depressed due to lack of meaning or purpose in their lives. They think the world is just a cruel, rotten, and meaningless place. This is brought on by upheavals of all kinds (social, economic, marital, etc.). People can overcome hate, jealousy, and lust without medicine. I've little knowledge of the medical side, but it seems that depression is caused by the same things that lead to hate, jealousy, and other strong emotions. If an 18 wheeler smashed you car, you can get angry or depressed or both. If your wife leaves you for another man, depression isn't the only response.

I'm sure genetic conditions effect a person's susceptibility to depression, but i'm not sure it can be the sole cause. The conditions, in which a person has been raised and lives, would appear to be a much greater factor. I've been depressed before, maybe not suicidally, but it may very well have progressed to that point if i hadn't made a conscious effort to stop looking at the bad side of everything. If people start relying on drugs to prevent depression, mood swings, or other emotional problems, we're depriving them of the chance to better themselves in, probably, the most significant way. I don't think depression can kill like cancer or a bad flu. Depressed people retain control of their bodies and make conscious decisions to kill themselves. Many people become addicted to anti-depressants because they haven't the discipline or desire to work out their problem. Instead they just cover it up. One doesn't even need to be depressed to get anti-depressants anymore. This lack of control seems to stem from a desire to take the easy way out. Giving a person a reason not be depressed, rather than a drug, seems to be the best way to really help them. No pain no gain, as they say.

How quantifiable is depression? Can it be seen and tracked like a virus or infection? Is there a test for it?. External, rather than internal, factors seem more likely to be the cause of depression. If so, a natural, non artificial or drug based method of treatment would be the best course.

In the wikipedia article on depression th sources cited do not affirm that depression can be caused by hereditary or genetic factors. They say it is possible, however. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter.