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Depression is no carnival. However, it may take a parade to understand the physical causes of depression.

Depression is a serious health condition. The physical causes of depression are characterized by a neurochemical or hormonal imbalance. Genes, hormones, illnesses, disabilities, medication, and diets cause these imbalances.

BIOCHEMISTRY

We have chemicals in our brains that affect our moods and emotions. Some of these chemicals are norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. A chemical imbalance will result if there is not enough, too much, or inconsistent usage of those chemicals. If the chemicals in our brains are off balance, or halts producing, this will affect our mood. It is just like performing in a parade. If one person stops marching, it could affect the rest of the parade.

GENES

Depression is hereditary. If one parent has depression, the child has a 27% chance of inheriting depression, and that percentage doubles if both parents have it.

HORMONES

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), post-partum, and Menopause can cause depressed mood, mood swings, irritability, and tension or anxiety. About a week before a woman's menustration, she may experience these symptoms. Some women develop post-partum after childbirth, which is characterized by depression or a deep sense of loss. Two of the female hormones, estrogen and testosterone, drop significantly 24 hours after childbirth. This rapid change can cause depression, just as the small change in hormones through menstruation.

ILLNESS

Medical illnesses often cause depression. Some examples are Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Parkinson's Disease (PD), and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
CFS patients feel as if they have a long lasting flu. Some symptoms like a sore throat, swollen glands, muscle pain, and severe prolonged fatigue cause depression.

The thyroid regulates hormones. An underactive thyroid gland will affect the hormones and chemicals responsible for mood and emotions.

In PD, the amount of dopamine, one of the "feel good" neurotransmitters responsible for mood, is critically low. This also affects the worsening of physical movement, which in effect, can cause the depression to worsen.

With MS, the condition destroys the nerves that transport signals for mood neurotransmitters. Without the nerves to carry the needed chemicals, this will result in depressed symptoms.

BURNOUT

This is similar to CFS, but CFS is long-term and burnout is usually short-term. This is characterized by a depletion

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