Is there a Biological Basis of Depression?

Stress is the biggest contributor to depression. It is the primary reason why the number of reported cases of depression have increased in the recent years. Stress was initially attributed to cause psychological problems but it was later found that it caused major imbalances with the hormone 'cortisol'. This hormone is secreted by the adrenal glands right above the kidneys and is primarily responsible for regulating stress responses. The more stress you have, the more cortisol is secreted, resulting in other side-effects including chemical imbalances within the brain that cause depression. This makes stress more of a physiological and a biological cause of depression rather than a direct psychological one.

One of the most surprising researches show that certain strong infections, such as the hepatitis virus may cause chemical imbalance within the brain, as it affects the biological functions within the body. Many types of strong viral infections such as HIV among others will cause biological imbalance that may result in depression even before any psychological impact is felt.

The genetic nature of depression is fairly well documented and it has been noticed that incidences of depression within the family increase the chances of you also developing it. This is because certain genes which are passed down to you hereditarily are major factors in deciding how predisposed you are to this disorder. If your twin sibling develops it, you have an 80 percent chance of developing the disorder as well.

A common biological or physiological disorder noticed within patients of depression is Thyroid problems. Hyperthyroidism to some extent and hypothyroidism to a large extent have been diagnosed among many patients who have been treated with clinical depression. In fact, in certain medical institutions, it is mandatory to test for hypothyroidism if a patient is being treated for depression.