Research shows that there are a number of reasons why people might suffer from depression. Biological theories regarding low levels of neurotransmitters, genetic theories regarding whether biological parents suffered from depression, psychoanalytic theories of depression being anger turned inwards particularly as a result of loss or high levels of stress.
There are a number of treatments for depression depending on the perceived reason for the depression and it’s severity. These range from various forms of medication, to ECT – a kind of mild electric shock treatment, to counselling. In counselling, the different schools of practice might focus on a different aspect of depression.
These are theories based on research and statistics. However what is important to remember in all of this is that you are an individual person. Only you know how you feel, and it’s a hard place to be. Battling through, or trying to cope with, such feelings can be so exhausting that to function on a day-to-day basis is a massive achievement.
You may find that a lot of people generally don’t know how to react to you. They think you’re just sad, but it’s more than that. They think you can snap out of it, but you can’t. It isn’t your fault that you are depressed, and neither is it a sign of weakness.
It is possible for mild depression to lift with counselling, exercise and so on, but clinical depression often does require treatment. If any of this has spoken to you in some way, please do get in touch.