- What genetic factors are relevant to developing depression?
- What can we do to prevent depression?
- How can I tell if I have depression or am I just sad?
- What is acute depression?
- What to do when we feel apathetic?
- Can recurrent major depression be cured?
- Are antidepressants for life?
- How can teachers help students with depression?
- How do you cope with all the responsibilities and tasks of daily life when you have depression?
- When we're not feeling well and don't want to do anything, what can we do to avoid feeling bad?
- What are the signs of a relapse in depression?
- What can we do to prevent a relapse?
- What strategies are recommended for managing high levels of stress and anxiety?
- How to manage a relapse in depression?
- And in case of a relapse into depression, how should the immediate environment act?
- What is the relationship between relapse and suicidal ideation?
- What kind of therapies work? Does writing down your feelings or participating in activities like laughter therapy help?
What genetic factors are relevant to developing depression?
Depression, like most disorders that affect humans, has both a genetic and an environmental component. There are some genes that appear to increase the risk of developing the disorder, but they always act in conjunction with other genes and environmental factors.
It appears that the serotonin transporter gene and genes involved in the serotonergic system , whose functions include regulating wakefulness, emotional and sexual behaviors, food intake and vomiting, pain perception and muscle tone, are candidates for susceptibility to depression, given that many antidepressant drugs act on these systems.
Serotonin is known as the happiness hormone ; low levels of serotonin in the body are associated with depression, fatigue, negative attitude, irritability, mood swings, difficulty controlling anger, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and uncontrollable emotional changes.
We must always keep in mind that the environment is very important and there may be triggering factors such as some trauma (loss or others) that can favor the appearance of depression.
