| Depression is the most widespread psychological | | | | known as SSRI's. Of the SSRI's, and there are |
| malady there is. Just in the United States, it's | | | | now a number available, Prozac was the first on |
| believed that twenty percent of the adult | | | | the market and is still the most well known. |
| population has depression. Putting that percentage | | | | Prozac in fact is one of the most widely |
| into a number comes to roughly sixty million | | | | prescribed pharmaceuticals in history, a testament |
| people in the US, most of whom don't get a | | | | to the prevalence of depression and emotional |
| depression diagnosis or any form of treatment. | | | | malaise. |
| With such a high affliction rate, considering the | | | | The other side of the coin in the thinking on |
| causes of depression is an obviously worthwhile | | | | depression causes is that depression is purely a |
| endeavor. | | | | function of environmental interactive factors. That |
| There are essentially two reasons for depression: | | | | is to say, depression isn't caused by any biological |
| biological factors and environmental interactive | | | | imbalance at all but instead occurs because of |
| factors. A combination of biological and | | | | how a person responds to their environment. As |
| environmental factors is obviously another | | | | one example, an individual may consider the break |
| possibility. When discussing biological causes of | | | | up of a relationship as a significant loss and fall into |
| depression, essentially what's being referenced is a | | | | a depression as a result. From an environmental |
| chemical imbalance in the brain. There are | | | | interactive position the thinking would be that this |
| different chemicals at work in the brain, operating | | | | particular depression isn't due to some brain |
| in complex functions. There's a correlation | | | | dysfunction but is instead caused by the |
| between low levels of particular chemicals within | | | | significance this person attaches to a life event: a |
| the brain and emotional and psychological | | | | relationship break up in this particular case. Using |
| dysfunctions, depression included. | | | | this sort of explanation, all forms of depression |
| One of the chemicals believed to have a primary | | | | can be explained by a person's perspective as |
| function in the regulation of mood is serotonin. | | | | opposed to any biological factors. |
| Low serotonin levels have been associated not | | | | So is depression caused by biology or by how a |
| only with depression but with | | | | person perceives their environment? The answer |
| obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, sleep | | | | is likely a combination of both. The effectiveness |
| difficulties, and anger and aggression abnormalities. | | | | of drugs like Prozac demonstrate that there is a |
| The discovery of serotonin in the role of mood | | | | biological element to depression, but there's |
| was key in the development of the selective | | | | certainly also issues of perspective at work as |
| serotonin reuptake inhibitor class of drugs, also | | | | well. |