What would you say if I told you there is an illness that touches the lives in some way of just about every single person on earth? Man, woman, and child matters not but yet we have no idea the exact cause of it. Would you be concerned? There are hundreds if not thousands of treatments for people feeling depressed but how effective can these treatments be when we still don’t understand the exact cause of depression?

Minds of the medical community have long been at odds over what actually stands as the cause of depression with many believing it is caused by physical abnormalities of the brain while others are not so sure. For those that stand on the side of the accepted theory, the cause of depression is due to low serotonin levels. What is serotonin? This is a neurotransmitter in the human brain which is loosely tied to human emotions. This theory is the root behind prescription antidepressants. Chemical antidepressants improve depression symptoms by working ton increase levels of this certain neurotransmitter. Often times you may have heard the cause of depression is a chemical imbalance of the brain. This statement refers back to low serotonin levels. Although this is the generally theory this is not the only thoughts on the cause of depression.

There are those who tell us that depression is caused by poor diet and lack of exercise. Your body is quite literally a living machine. It is comprised of millions of moving parts from your arms and legs all the way down to the cells of your body and like any complicated machine your requires regular maintenance and upkeep. The type of food you put into your body is much like the type of motor oil you put into your car. When you use poor quality lubricants for your engine you expect it to break down; when you feed your body junk you should expect it to react accordingly as well. Diets especially lacking in omega3 fatty acids are at suspicion as a cause of depression. I’d suggest erring on the side of caution by making sure you include either fish or hemp seed oil in your diet as they are both terrific sources of omega3’s.

Getting back to the maintenance bit, your body requires you get certain levels of exercise. When you don’t meet these requirements you are robbing yourself of one of the best possible ways of relieving stress. Stress builds in each of us and without a blow off valve of some point it will continue to build until you face a nervous breakdown or violent eruption. Neither of those are desired effects. By participating in strenuous activity you are releasing this built up tension. Beside the mental benefits of exercise this is also good for your heart, muscles, and over body weight. Exercise helps you to look good and looking good helps you to feel good. Ever heard you only feel as good as you look? Self esteem is considered by many to be the source of depression itself. Looking good builds self esteem and building a positive self image will go a long way in the treatment of your depression.

Another accepted cause is a lack of sunlight. You might think it would be impossible not to get the exposure to sunlight that your body needs but you would be wrong. Sunlight contains important minerals such as Vitamin D and a lack of these can lead to depression. Many people may think the winter time blues is just an expression but the truth is the sun is not out as much during the winter months. Less sun means less sunlight and this is the reason more people are reported to suffer from depression during these months of the year. You can greatly reduce your depression symptoms by making an extra effort to get more sunlight each day. Step outside to take a walk, sit out on the front step, mow the lawn, do something to get adequate sunlight.

Regardless of what you believe to be the cause of depression it is important that you take steps to getting treatment for it. Whether you choose professional care or self treatment programs its always better to do something than nothing.