If you took a survey of your friends and acquaintances you might be amazed at how many are taking anti-depressants. There are those illnesses which require medication, such as bi-polar disorder. The key is to take care of yourself now. If you are already on medication and want to get off, pay attention to these three known causes of major depressive disorder and find solutions.
Social Causes
Changes in your social life usually result in temporary emotional upset. When you change jobs or move you leave the people you are familiar with. You will need to establish new friends and acquaintances. It is more difficult when there is death or divorce. The loss of a loved one through death throws you into grief of which depression is one of the stages. When divorced, you may lose the friends and family associated with your spouse. These loses, be they through job changes, moving, divorce or death, can throw you into severe depression if you don't take steps to handle the changes.
Psychological Causes
You know people who look at life with either the "glass half-full" or "glass half-empty" perspective. Research has shown a greater numbers of people with depression if they view life with a negative attitude. These are always looking for what can go wrong. As a result they find exactly what they are looking for. Research in the mind-body psychology field shows a direct connection between negative thinking and the chemicals produced by the body. The key is to focus on what is going right in your life and take care of the bumps in the road as they happen.
Biological Causes
Some people are born with a lack of the hormones and neuro-transmitters which elevate the mood. Others engage in behaviors which throw the body into crisis. What you eat, drink and how you sleep has a definite effect upon your mood. When the body doesn't get the nutrition it needs it can't function well. Over indulging in sweets will cause your blood sugar level to be unstable. This results in irritability and mood swings. Drinking alcohol to excess also affects the blood sugar. The amount of sleep, as well as its quality, will directly affect how you feel and how you handle the day. The key is to eat a healthy diet, drink alcohol in moderation if at all and get enough good sleep
In Summary
Major depressive disorder can be avoided or lessened if you attend to three areas of life: your emotional outlook, your social life and how you care for your body. You don't always have control of what happens in your life, but you do have control over how you will respond.
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