Why am I depressed?

The exact cause of depression is not known although medical researchers have a number of ideas. The cause will be different for every person.

For some people it can be really difficult to even identify a reason why they are feeling so crap. Others can pinpoint a trigger such as a difficult life event, a bad time in their past or some sort of trauma.

The panels on the right list some of the things that can lead to depression.

There are certain times in life when everything seems to change. You might be feeling this right now.  Maybe you’re:
  1. Leaving school and becoming a student, or going through the hard slog of looking for a job; or
  2. Starting a new job; or
  3. Moving out of home and going to live with friends, or maybe with people you don’t know; or
  4. Moving to a new city, or going travelling
These can all be exciting things but they can also be unsettling.

Sometimes, feeling out of control because of life events can cause you to become depressed. For example: it can be difficult to see your friends moving on, completing their studies, getting new jobs, and forming new relationships, when you may not  have clear ideas about what you want to do.

It’s easy to think that you have done something wrong, or that you are somehow to blame. This is a typical way of thinking with depression but just because you think it, doesn’t mean it’s true.

People who face a lot of bullying and discrimination because they are seen as ‘different’, who feel rejected, or who grow up in an unsupportive environment can be more likely to become depressed.

This can be true of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), for people with disabilities and people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, for example.

While not all people from these backgrounds will develop depression, the combined effects of prejudice and difficulty in being accepted – or accepting their own identity, may lead to depression and mental health problems.

Download the LGBT factsheet

Sometimes there may be no reason for feeling the way you do. You may not be affected by any of the factors that make you more prone to depression and you can't see any triggers.

It's important to remember that depression is an illness and like other illnesses sometimes there is no visible reason why one person gets it and another doesn't.

While some people might be more at risk of depression than others, it is important to remember that depression can affect anyone. Or, just because you have problems which might make you more at risk of depression, this does not mean you will develop it.

This is one of the things that many people struggle with when they have depression: Why me?  There isn’t always an easy answer for that.  

What do you think?  Discuss it in our community section.

Factors that may make you more prone to depression

  1. Having a history of depression in your family
  2. Having lost a parent in childhood
  3. Physical, emotional or sexual abuse in childhood
  4. Having a long term disabling illness
  5. Living in a deprived area
Events which can ‘trigger’ depression
  1. Stressful life events such as the death of someone close to you, ending a relationship, doing badly in exams, money problems, unemployment
  2. Being bullied or criticised a lot
  3. Key life events such as moving away from home, becoming a parent
  4. Having a physical illness
  5. Caring for, or living with, someone who has a long-term illness or mental health problem
  6. Lack of daylight