Secret Depression Triggers: How Many Do You Have?

Our mental health can come under strain when we experience big life events, such as starting new careers, bereavement or relationship breakdown. These situations could put us at risk of depression, which can show as mood disturbances, sleeping problems, reduction in appetite and a general loss of pleasure in life. But, experts are also explaining how some triggers for the mental health problem could be harder to spot.

Lifestyle factors

Our interests provide us with a way to escape from aspects of our lives that can make us feel low. So it makes sense that if we can’t access these interests our mental health may suffer. Scientists reported a rise in depression rates when film franchises like those featuring Harry Potter came to an end. A similar effect was also recorded after Avatar was released as some viewers felt disturbed by the fact the mystical world in the movie doesn’t exist. Other factors in our lifestyle affecting depression include where we live and how we eat. City dwellers increase their chances of getting mood problems by 39 per cent and lack of fish in our diet has also been highlighted as a depression trigger.

Addictions

If we smoke we could also be putting ourselves at risk of depression, although scientists also point out that if we feel low in the first place then we may light-up more. A more socially acceptable habit that could affect our mood is social networking addiction, which can leave us feeling anxious if we don’t log on to our favourite websites multiple times a day.

Body

Our body may react to certain medications in a way that alters our moods to the point we get depression. For example, progesterone-based birth control can have this effect, as can some treatments for acne. Sometimes our bodies don’t process our hormones correctly, such as when we have thyroid problems. Many people around the world feel depressed during winter when there is a lack of sunlight, but due to problems with melatonin a small section of us can also feel low when the sun starts to shine. When we’re worried about our low moods or other depression symptoms it’s a good idea to consult our GPs for advice.