Stephanie Paul
Professor Becker
English 101
June 28, 2015
Depression: Cause and Effects
A common but serious mood disorder, depression causes sadness, insomnia, feelings of worthlessness, and in its extreme form, suicidal thoughts, for an extended period of time, interfering with a person’s daily life (Andrews and Thomson, Jr.; “What Is Depression?”). While research primarily focuses on depression’s costs to the individual suffering from it, as well as his or her family and friends, some studies have found that depression does cause beneficial things to happen, such as greater success at analyzing complex problems and solving social dilemmas (Andrews and Thomson, Jr.).
Depressive disorder comes in several forms, including major depression, in which severe symptoms interfere with one’s daily life and activities including eating, sleeping, and simply enjoying one’s life; persistent depressive disorder, which is depression that lasts two or more years; psychotic depression, which involves a break with reality or seeing or hearing hallucinations; postpartum depression in which women experience depression after giving birth; seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in which one suffers depression during winter months; and bipolar disorder, in which one cycles between manic and depressive stages (“What Is Depression?”). Women more than men are most likely to suffer from a depressive disorder , and even how women experience depression is different from how men experience it (“What Is Depression?”).

Causes of Depression Considered a complicated disorder of the brain, a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors most probably cause depression (Dadoly and Miller; “What Is Depression?”). Even medications and medical problems can cause depression (Dadoly and Miller). While researchers have determined that neurochemicals are involved in depression, the level of complexity within the brain chemistry makes the biology and neurology of depression too complicated to understand completely at this time (Dadoly and Miller). Some forms of depressive disorder are slightly less complicated to understand the causes, meaning scientists are able to pinpoint the causes. For example, with postpartum depression, women who have recently given childbirth experience hormonal changes and an overwhelming feeling of responsibility with caring for a newborn “What Is Depression?”). While not a gender-specific disorder, more women than men suffer from depression due to biological, life cycle, hormonal, and psychosocial factors (Jack; “What Is Depression?”). Due to dramatic hormonal changes, women of child-bearing age may suffer from depression during ovulation and before menstruation, experiencing a severe form of premenstrual syndrome called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (Jack; “What Is Depression?”). And while transitioning to menopause, women are at increased risk for depression (Jack; “What Is Depression?”). Depressive disorders during these times in a woman’s life may be linked to rising and falling estrogen levels, among other hormones, that impact a woman’s brain chemistry (Jack; “What Is Depression?”). Effects of Depression
The effects of depression are numerous, from physical and mental manifestations to changes in daily life. Most of these effects are negative and can adversely impact a person’s life who suffers from depression. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (“What Is Depression?”), signs and symptoms of depression include persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness; feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness; irritability and restlessness; loss of interest in activities and hobbies once considered pleasurable, including sex; fatigue and decreased energy; difficulty in concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions; insomnia, early-morning waking, or excessive sleepiness; overeating or appetite loss; thoughts or attempts of suicide; and aches, pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not decrease even with treatment.
In women, depression impacts their work and home responsibilities, including caring for children and/or aging parents, and their relationships from partners to family to friends (Jack; “What Is Depression?”). In addition to hormonal changes women experience, these same effects may also be triggers of depression as women may feel stress they perceive they cannot control or cope with, in addition to possible emotional or physical abuse, financial troubles and/or poverty, and more (Jack; “What Is Depression?”). They may also experience a greater pressure to act a certain way, morally good, censoring or repressing their feelings towards their partners, children, parents, and friends, all of which may lead to depression (Jack). Hence, the causes of depression lead to its effects which lead back to more causes, perpetuating an endless cycle for those who suffer from depression.
Experiencing depression differently than women, men are more likely to feel extremely tired and irritable, lose interest in activities they once considered pleasurable, and have difficulty sleeping (“What Is Depression?”). They are more likely to self-medicate, using alcohol or drugs to cope with their depression, and they may turn to working too much in order to avoid communicating about their depression with their family and friends (“What Is Depression?”). In the U.S., more men than women die by suicide (“What Is Depression?”).

Benefits of Depression
While most of the focus is on the destructive effects of depression, there are perceived benefits. Behavioral ecologist Paul W. Andrews and psychiatrist J. Anderson Thomson, Jr. argue that depression is an adaptive trait rather than a disorder, suggesting that depression provides benefits, as well as the negative effects discussed above. They suggest that people who have depression tend to ruminate on problems, which is sign of highly analytical thinking, focusing on complex problems and breaking them down into small parts to be considered one at a time. The researchers have actually been able to demonstrate a correlation between people with depression and higher intelligence test scores, suggesting that analysis involves a lot of uninterrupted thought, which depression provides individuals who have it. Even the social isolation that occurs with depression is a benefit in analysis, as this isolation means uninterrupted time without distractions, left alone only to think.
Andrews and Thomson, Jr. also suggest that since clinicians recommend that people with depression write out their feelings, thereby gaining insight into their problems. And people with depression are better at analyzing the costs and benefits of different situations, causing them to be better at solving social dilemmas.

Conclusion
Depression is a complicated disorder with a myriad of factors contributing to it, from genetics to hormonal changes to environmental influences to psychosocial issues. While a great number of people suffer from depression, it does not have to be a completely negative experience, though it is hard at the time for someone suffering from depression to see what benefits depression could have. An individual suffering from depression could lose all interest in activities he or she usually experiences pleasure in doing, but depression could also lead to a highly analytical way of experiencing life in which problems can be solved after a period of social isolation and intense rumination. Depression has it complicated list of causes, but it also has a complicated list of effects ranging from extremely detrimental, such as suicide and loss of relationships, to extremely beneficial, such as solving difficult problems that may lead to grand discoveries about oneself or the world around one.

Works Cited
Andrews, Paul W., and J. Anderson Thomson, Jr. "Depression's Evolutionary Roots." Scientific American (2009): 56-61. Web. 26 June 2015.
Dadoly, Annmarie F., and Michael Craig Miller. Understanding Depression. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Health Publications, 2011. Web. 26 June 2015.
Jack, Dana Crowley. Silencing the Self: Women and Depression. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1991. Web. 26 June 2015.
“What Is Depression?” Depression. National Institute of Mental Health, 2011. Web. 26 June 2015.