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There are many obvious causes of these things such as traumatic events and deaths of loved ones that cause depression and anxiety disorders if they are not treated properly. However, what we are seeing more and more frequently is people suffering from depression without having a specific traumatic event that triggered it. The current methodology for treating the average person is prescribing medication and perhaps suggesting counseling. This is irresponsible and will never cure the origin of the problem. It is the modern day version of committing someone to a mental institute. It is just as inhumane and detrimental. By this treatment method, we are creating a society of partially functional people, chained to a bottle, who never live up to their full potential.

It is the oldest debate; "which came first the chicken or the egg?". The medical profession will tell you that a chemical imbalance creates depression and anxiety. I now believe it is quite the other way around. It is the way we interpret and reaction to situations, based on how we have been shaped, that causes the chemical imbalance we define as depression. This had been my sneaking suspicion for quite sometime, and I am starting to realize that practitioners of preventative or holistic medicine agree. It is only mainstream America, driven by profit and convenience that will tell you differently. The more you think about it the more disgusting it becomes. Especially when I think of the 10 years- my entire 20's- that I lost and will never have again.

My depression was two-fold. It certainly stemmed from my past, but that translated to depression and anxiety about the future as well. There are so many things I have wanted to accomplish in my life, but I didn't have the foggiest notion of how to make those things happen. I did not see them as possible, which was very overwhelming, frustrating, and sad. All around us people make the lifestyle for themselves that they dream of. Their outward environment is a direct reflection of how they view the world, it's possibilities, and most importantly themselves. I was still running an old operating system that said "those things are for other people, for reasons I can't put into words, I have to suffer- knowing what I want, and never being able to have it". I had never learned how to tackle challenges and make things happen. I grew up in an environment where the unspoken message was that when things are unknown they are not an exciting challenge that I am capable of championing over, but a source of anxiety and pain. More so now then ever, we live in a world where anything is possible. People who did not grow up in an environment that takes recognizes that and embraces it, may experience a huge gap between their actual life and the life they long for. This can cause a lot of anxiety and depression. Depression over unfullfillment of dreams is something that can strike us at anytime especially with triggers such as having a baby, reaching a certain age, or reaching a milestone in our life that makes us realize it (even subconciously). Some people realize this, and decide to do something about it, others continue to sink into a depression. It is learned behavior that makes all the difference.

We can all clearly see things about the people who raised us that we have decided consciously not to emulate. But often it is the things we don't see so clearly that have shaped us. It is what you have learned to believe about yourself as a result of this early environment that plays a big part in determining where you go in life. You learned who you are based on these experiences. You also learned a lifetime of lessons, by example, on how to interpret things and how to react to different stimulus. Even if you don't copy these examples, being subjected to them for so many years early in life shapes you, so it is still really learned behavior. It is imperative that if you suffer from depression, you explore this. The answers lie in these early years, in these first experiences and relationships.

The greatest parents in the world celebrate their children's individuality and encourage their strengths and interests. Unfortunately a lot of parents are unable to do this. Maybe they are genuinely not aware of these needs, maybe they have circumstances of their own that get in the way, maybe they were conditioned by their parents to be a certain way, or maybe they flat out didn't care. Whatever the reason, if you grew up in an environment that did not celebrate and encourage you, you need to deal with that. Acknowledge it, explore it, and decide how you will rise above living the life of a product of an un nourishing & unsupportive environment. I highly recommend seeking a qualified therapist who can help you work on this. Even the smartest and most self-aware people cannot see things about themselves and make the connections between the past & the present that are made in therapy. Having found an aggressive, insightful and experienced doctor has made all the difference in the world for me. I have let go of years and years of baggage in months, and I make sense to myself, am freer, more peaceful, just all around doing better than I ever have been in my life.

This is really a similar concept to the above. I know so many amazing & talented people today who are depressed; many brilliant minds in history have suffered from depression. It is almost as if who they are and what they have to offer is bigger than the confines their mind perceives as reality. They don't know how to take what is inside of them and integrate it into their life. They are stifled by a cage that they can't seem to push out of, and the unfortunate thing is that this cage, this definition of who they are and what they are "capable" of, exists purely in their mind. Throughout history, many brilliant minds have suffered from depression. It seems like depression at times is a sign of a mind that is deperate to grow beyond the confines that have been set forth for it. It is our mind's or spirit's way of telling us something is not right about our life.

I saved this for last, because I want this site to be welcoming to all people suffering from depression, not just those who were abused. There are no reasons that are more valid than others to suffer from depression. It is completely subjective. The interesting thing about abuse is that we often can't see how abusive situations were in our pasts- we are taught to accept them, be thankful it wasn't worse, and suck it up because we are adults now. Often people mistakenly think they were not abused, because it was not physical violence. Denying, ignoring, or down playing abuse of any form translates to one thing: depression. Depression grows when there is a disconnect between our experiences and our feelings.