What I think causes depression in people

[jennifer_bloom]

The bible says the sorrows of those who have bartered for another God will increase and that the christian will not be active social components of their life. King Solomon warned about passion, unrealistic expectations, unattainable goals, short term thinking and self-deception and I believe all these elements factor into the high prevalence of depression among the wealthy, high status, and professionally elite.

Today I was trying to locate a Jerry Springer episode I watched as a child because I was looking for a specific person who appeared on the show and after watching half an episode of Jerry Springer, I became dissatisfied with my life, because it seemed like my purposes were inconsequential and aimless, if that is not true, it’s how I felt about the situation and I realized vanity was to blame.

If you want to be happy, you must learn that what excites you or inspires you is different from what satisfies you, and some things that bring temporary happiness diminish the happiness you feel in life because they are not fulfilling or meaningful, life is about seeking satisfaction, not excitement, inspiration or stimulation, just like meals are about protein and not endless fruit smoothies, I think a crises of vanity and lack of meaning is leading to our high rates of depression.

[Kayla45]

I think it's moreso the environment the individual is living in, or life experiences they have endured along the way that caused them to feel grief or depression.

[captain_voidwalker]

I think it's caused by an inability to achieve ones goals.

[K-I-S-S]

Religion.

Other things too but as you like to cite the bible a lot so it fits.

Why religion?

Because most religions are designed to keep people hooked. People try to do good by the god or gods etc but it's never good enaugh.

Or they get "tested" by god, they feel like they are not worthy of good times.

Also a lot of religions have basic human behaviours marked as sins, to again fuel the repent, the desire to try more.

They feel more watched, judged on a daily basis, by pastors, church members, god etc.

I was also undercover in a church for 2 years, for a book i was writing. Learning how it all works, making and giving sermons to 200 audiences, running worship bands etc etc.

Saw a lot of psychological human suffering there, indoctrination of children and etc etc.

Happens in a lot of popular new age churches too.
For somebody of faith it's usually harder to see when you are in it.

My girlfriend was a christian for 25 years before i got her out, we actually met during this time. She has been healing ever since, but the effect it has had is hard to mend.

[Anonymous]

I can tell you it started for me in Junior high with bullies that terrorized me so bad. No adult anywhere would do anything to stop it.

It was so bad, I wanted to kill myself just to make it stop. Was raise and told to be passive and not fight back, just tell the teachers, principals, parents, etc... no one did a thing to stop it. No one cared and I often heard boys will be boys.

Until one of the bullies was punching me on top of the staircase and I had enough turned around and pushed him and he fell down the stairs. Suddenly I was the bad guy, cause he could of got hurt really bad (He didn't.)

Talk about a major start to lifelong depression, as a result... it has gotten better, then I married my ex who was mentally abusive and controlling and that just made it worse.

Been doing good though for 15 years or so, but there is several dozens of my graduating class that have committed suicide either as teens or adults and often you hear people say online. Wonder why so many guys from our class are doing this.

Well DUH, the bullies also gave them a lifelong disease called depression and not everyone survives that disease.

Having faith in god and trying to forgive my attackers, didn't work. My mother later on (in my adult years) apologized and said if she had understood my plea's and how bad it was, she would of done more. She thought it was just me whining about not wanting to go to school. She later said, she meant when saying to turn the other cheek, doesn't mean you have to stand there and keep taking it. You turn your cheek, you forgive and you remove yourself from the situation.

The principal was removed right after I moved onto high school for allowing things to get so bad, this was a big part of it.

[whirled_up_girl]

I'm so sorry to hear you were bullied like that. There were times in middle school that some mean kids tried to bully me. They didn't do anything physical, they were boys but I would always hear "boys like to tease girls that they like", this was not teasing this was cruel comments about my looks. I had a good friend, a very large tough girl who use to tell me to "tell them to shut up and knock it off" and I told her "that's what they want, to see me upset". Well she started telling them to knock it off, she was a tough girl, and would threaten boys. Then other tough girls and boys that liked her started defending me too, I don't really know why, I think she just started something. I felt fortunate to have a friend like her and them, but my heart broke for other kids that were bullied. I always tried to befiend the kids that were being bullied even when it meant it might start something up again towards me. I have lost touch with that girl who so bravely would stand up to the bullies on my behalf, which is too bad because I would like to thank her. I learned what it meant to have a good friend and to be a good friend, but I still feel like what about the others? They didn't have an tough friend or older brother or sister to protect them. I hope things have gotten better for you?

[Opinion Owner]

@whirled_up_girl Thanks for the kind words, and yes things are far better now.

My friends and I, all bullied by the same group. Ultimately did end up fighting back and the bullies were so much like "You dare to oppose us" and had no limits to how far they would go to subjugate us.

It turned into a 4 or so year long feud, into high school. Some bullies when you fight back stop, others just escalate it. The fact that we reported them... no only to school officials but to police really ticked them off. It got so bad they would throw rocks through windows of our parents home. Pull knives on us if they cornered us while walking somewhere.

My friend and I got away one time, just by jumping in a random car in the back seat and telling the people up front those guys want to stab us. Another time one of group got pinned between a dumpster at their fast food job and the car driven by the lead bully.

Putting a police officer in school was the best thing to ever happen, cut way down on things like what happened to us. Stopped them before they got out of control and the security camera's helped to prove who did what.

[smokeyshaman]

*rubs syes* where to begin...
I'll keep it short and sweet
1) The term 'depression' is broad, its both an ilness and a symptom of other ilness/lifestyle choices, horrible life events...;
2) there are WAYY too many types of depression to be able to say 'depression is caused by this, that, or the other;
3) religon, while i respect and accept CAN provide some with relif and comfort, as far as depression is conserned (especially clinical types) religon has no say in that matter, leave that to science (whixh by the way has made huge breakthroughs on this over the last 100 or so years, and continues to do so.

[DJB72]

Scripture is specific. Hope deferred makes the heart sick (depression) - Proverbs 13:12

We often find we are not satisfied with our goals even when we reach them. CS Lewis said if nothing in this world can satisfy us then our conclusion must be that we were meant for another world (paraphrased from "Mere Christianity")

Basically, not reaching a God-given goal timeously and focusing on the things of this world instead of God tend to be the greatest causes of depression.

Yes, neuro chemical imbalance CAN be a cause, but there'd have to be a pandemic of far greater numbers than Covid and the 1918 Spanish Flu combined for that to be the cause of depression today.

Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that life without God is pointless and you'd be better off committing suicide. If that's the conclusion of the smartest man who ever lived it bears listening to.

[Anonymous]

Depression is self made due to our ego
Remove the ego and you are free mentally forever
I see friends who are doing certain university degree or jobs to fulfill society rules or make their parents happy and they are very very unhappy and depressed.
Depression means — you need a deep rest if depressed. Sit and think what truly makes you happy.. don’t fool yourself your heart and brain can hear you.


To me a depression that I excuse at someone is with people who have lost children’s or loved ones ok i understand their pain but when it comes to modern depression as money jobs schools houses cars oh man..

[yofuknutz]

Exactly!

[t-8900]

Well the only thing I've ever wanted since I was a little boy was to be an amazing husband and father. It's been my life's goal and purpose and I hope that I am honored with that opportunity because I have a lot of love in my heart to give to my future family and I wouldn't let them go for all the wealth, fame, and fortune in the world.

[FriendlyGhost]

That’s some good insight in the second half, but needlessly religious in the first given that it is general wisdom. Not trying to hate on your faith, just saying that there are lots of people who could use this reminder but wouldn’t be able to get past the first half which isn’t really necessary to get the point across.

[Anonymous]

en.wikipedia.org/.../Depression_%28mood%29

https://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Jetsons? wprov=sfla1
We are NOT inspired so we get bored with life and when U DO try to inspire others or even yourself people pull the crab bucket syndrome on anyone who dares to step off the line. That has to stop ✋!

[slatyb]

That's not it. Depression runs in families, so it's partly generic. I also believe that it's often a result of poor self-esteem resulting from growing up with absent or unsupportive parents, or from childhood trauma.

[najekim]

A depressed person is there by choice. There has been numerous occasions where I should have been depressed but refused to let myself get that way. Mind over matter so to speak.

[Moan_Chomsky]

Choice isn't a real thing. You don't get to choose your beliefs or desires- humans don't have conscious control over those things. Our behavior, however "we" control, in a sense. Or rather, it feels like we had options, that we "could choose one path OR another". Unfortunately, that doesn't agree with how physics works. You are correct, however, to notice that your thoughts impact your emotions. Its just that the thing doing the thinking and the feeling is a "moist robot" that follows its (quantum) mechanical rules 100.0%, all day and all night.

[Dareu2bb]

Are you serious dude? And your at an age where you should have better knowledge on this topic you are so so incorrect and we'll just a dick

[Anonymous]

What you're advocating sounds a lot like Stoicism, which has a lot to recommend it. Anyone who requires ever-increasing levels of self-gratification is bound to be disappointed.

[Moan_Chomsky]

I agree with the OP- that is a major cause of depression. I like the stoics. But what she mentions is not the ONLY cause. There are lots of sources of depression. The only underlying similarities between them that are universal have to do with brain chemistry (GABA to glutamate ratios, etc.)-
and then only as a sort of benchmark more than a causal pathway. My particular
depression stems from my tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and my inability
to find these with any certainty. This is the philosophical definition of "The Absurd." Its a little more modern than stoicism. In the aftermath of World War II provided the social environment that stimulated absurdist views and allowed for their popular development, especially in the devastated country of France. So I suppose you could say that Christianity promoted absudism by way of ethnic cleanliness- a thing that the "Gott Mit Uns" (God with us) guys thought was next to Godliness. They were wrong, though. For some reason, God was on the side of the Godless Communists, who neutralized 80% of the Wehrmacht singlehandedly.

[Opinion Owner]

@Moan_Chomsky There's an argument that WWII proved that God doesn't exist... at least in the traditional sense. He allowed the extermination of 6 million of his "chosen people".

[Anonymous]

It's more likely the results from a chemical imbalance, though it doesn't capture how complex the disease is. There are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems. It's believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression.

[PoliteSpeaker]

It is caused by doubt and worry the opposite of Faith. With God all things are possible. You know this.

[lorenzomichael]

The Devil he is what causes depression. If you follow Christ Jesus then you know. And if you don't know now you know..

[gag2021]

They say "clinical depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain".

[Moan_Chomsky]

Whoever they is.. they are right.

[Anonymous]

Probably no goals, no companion, nothing exciting and not feeling needed

[Iknowbestgirls]

You don't need the bible to tell you that

[scott04sa22]

Lots of things