Depression: cause or consequence?

[anthrax]

Are you depressed because of your brain chemistry (imbalance between neurotransmitters - Serotonin, GABA, dopamine and norepinephrine)

- or -

Is it depression that causes imbalance/depletion of certain neurotransmitters?

 

[buffer1]

Are you depressed because of your brain chemistry (imbalance between neurotransmitters - Serotonin, GABA, dopamine and norepinephrine)

- or -

Is it depression that causes imbalance/depletion of certain neurotransmitters?

I would have to go with the second bro

 

[H_T_]

i was told i have reactive depression. it's brought on by trauma and bad experiences.

 

[KIAN]

Depression is the result of an event or circumstance but the level of depression would be subject to your current psychological and also physiological status. For some people, the level of depression would be equivalent to having a bad day. For others though, they may require years of counselling to allow them to live a 'normal' life again.


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KP--Fitness Basics

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[Mikey25]

Its the second one, i believe the brain chemistry reacts to your life, and how you feel.

 

[MikeMartial]

Are you depressed because of your brain chemistry (imbalance between neurotransmitters - Serotonin, GABA, dopamine and norepinephrine)

- or -

Is it depression that causes imbalance/depletion of certain neurotransmitters?

Personally, there's no question that it's a chemical imbalance for me. When I was finally dx with depression, I had(have):

1) A fantastic career that I love
2) Perfect health...in fact, in the shape of my life
3) A rock-solid marriage
4) A fair amount of disposable income.

So, in retrospect, there is NO reason for the depression to exist, and this has been agreed by both my physician and psychologist.

Prior to my 2nd regime of Accutane, I was perfectly happy. A few months after going off my 2nd dose, I began to slide downhill. Although Roche (makers of Accutane) deny any long-term side effects, I have no doubt in the future more studies will be done.

It's proven that Accutane can cause suicidal ideation and depression while taking it, but no studies have come forth on permanent neurotransmitter alterations.

In my line of work, I happen to see a lot of people on anti-depressants (ironic, heh). I'm no expert, but I'd have to say it's 50/50 as to the cause.

Certain people are predispositioned due to family history and genetics, while for others its outside infuence as the cause. And to answer the question, yes, being depressed will cause a chemical imbalance, also.

So the answer is both

 

[*MissFit*]

chemical imbalance that is affected by outside factors

 

[anthrax]

Great infos guys

I relly do think both are interrelated

Overtraining can lead to depression though there's no psychological reason to feel depressed
Drugs can also have the same effect (or the opposite effect, cf SSRI)

 

[markshark]

i believe that depression is something that everyone has, some just more severe than others. its a natural function of the human brain. even when everythings going great, theres still part of your brain that says "things are TOO good, somethings gotta be wrong here!".

 

[StormDragon]

Are you depressed because of your brain chemistry (imbalance between neurotransmitters - Serotonin, GABA, dopamine and norepinephrine)

- or -

Is it depression that causes imbalance/depletion of certain neurotransmitters?

I have suffered from depression since i was in elementry school, but never knew what was wrong with me.
Three years ago my ex left me and my kids. It left me with debts i could not pay, i had to quit the job i loved, and left me to question why i should even go on living. If it wasn't for my kids, i would not be here typing.

Anyway, i went to my doctor when the thoughts of suicide became too much to handle. I was told that i had a chemical imbalance that had to do with Seritonin levels ( spelling?) Depression does not cause the imbalance. Anyway i went on a prescription of Paxil and Amitryptelene ( spelling? ) and it fixed me right up. But because i do not believe in taking any medication i don't have to and because i was feeling pretty good after 3 months; i quit the treatment that shouldn't have been any shorter than 9 months.

I had a bit of a relapse but no where near as bad as the first time so i went back to my Dr. He actually went on to say that my depression was linked directly to my sleeping habbits. I was re-diagnosed with mild depression due to Sleep Apneia, and was treated for the sleep disorder alone. Wouldn't you know he was right. I didn't need the Paxil at all, i just needed some solid REM sleep.

Anyway, new research is finding that some forms of depression as well as other disorders, are directly linked to sleeping. If your not getting enough quality REM sleep, it plays hell on body chemistry. Sleep will effect these chemicals ( so will diet and exercise ) but depression itself does nothing to the chemicals themselves. Depression is only a result of the lack of or too much of these chemicals.