What we call "depression" can be the final common expression of several different breakdowns in a person's biology. For example, depression can be the result of a number of infections. Inflammatory processes can lead to depression. Interestingly, COVID has shown us that autoimmune processes can cause depression. A variety of types of nutritional imbalances lead to depression. Faulty enzymes that are important for key metabolic functions can cause depression. Head trauma is well known to cause depression. Prolonged stress, trauma and sleep deprivation cause depression. There are genetic links to depression as well. These are some of the most common causes of depression.
With so many causes of depression, how can we expect one type of treatment to work in all cases? Medications are only effective in roughly 28% of cases of depression. The multiple causes of depression explain why. Comprehensive care of depression begins with a thorough assessment of what causes of depression a person has been exposed to. Sometimes a person has multiple causes of their depression that require uniquely tailored treatments.
