What causes depression?
Causes for depression generally fall into these categories:
Physical causes of depression include hormonal imbalance, medication side effects, drug abuse, chronic illness, insufficient rest or exercise, and genetic vulnerability.
Emotional causes of depression could be internalized stress from problems at home, school, work, relationships or a personal crisis. Suppressed fear, such as the fear of being alone, or repressed anger about a loss or injustice, are also possible emotional causes of depression.
Genetics can increase a person’s likelihood of experiencing depression. Though it's not a guarantee, having a family history of mental illness often means you are more likely to suffer from it yourself.