4 Surprising Causes of Depression That You Should Not Ignore

Our psyche is still a vast territory that, although already well researched, still has a few white spots on its map. What was a taboo subject for a long time has now earned the dubious reputation of a widespread disease: depression. It is still considered difficult to diagnose and therefore difficult to get under control. Yet in recent years, both conventional medicine and the pharmaceutical industry have been able to achieve groundbreaking successes in the fight against this underground economy of our souls.

We now know a lot about depression, but by no means everything. Moreover, many people are still very cautious when it comes to talking about mental health problems. Simply recognizing that we are not well and should seek help would be an invaluable first step. Not every low mood equals depression, just as not every mental slump goes away on its own. As with all serious illnesses - and depression is exactly that - the first thing to do is to get to the bottom of the causes.

Prevention is always easier and better than cure. So in this article, we're going to introduce you to 4 rather unknown and surprising causes that can lead to the development of a depressive episode.

1. Magnesium deficiency

Sometimes the answer to a difficult question can actually be that simple. A deficiency of magnesium, as found abundantly in nuts, fruits, dried fruits and vegetables, as well as grains, can cause our mood to plummet to absolute zero. Numerous studies of patients suffering from depression found that a large proportion had low magnesium levels. Incidentally, the effect can be intensified in combination with potassium. If you immediately think of a banana, you are thinking correctly.

Mineral water would be another wonderful source to increase our magnesium intake without effort and quite inexpensively. But nuts are also true boosters when it comes to these micronutrients. In an experiment, a group of depressed subjects were given a small handful of walnuts in their diet every day for several weeks. The results were astonishing: as little as 500 milligrams of magnesium per day significantly improved the patients' condition after 8 weeks. But be careful: self-medication is also strongly discouraged in the case of minerals.

An overdose of magnesium can have very unpleasant and even health-threatening consequences. It can lead to diarrhea and other troublesome gastrointestinal complaints. In the case of severe overdose, even very dangerous side effects such as a drop in blood pressure or a weakening of muscle tone can occur.

2. Change

Upheaval in life is not always a good thing, even though it may seem that way at first. Many people struggle with life changes, even when they have brought them about themselves. Surprisingly, it is not only strokes of fate such as illness or the death of close relatives that cause dark clouds to gather on our horizon. Many people fall into depressive phases when the children leave home, the well-deserved retirement is just around the corner or a promotion has been achieved. Even moving into a new and even nicer apartment does not automatically trigger feelings of happiness.

Conditions following the achievement of major goals, for example, are comparable to postnatal depression. Many a degree and many a lucrative job change have already brought gloomy prognoses for the soul. It is hard to believe, but the facts speak for it. The culprit in this unpleasant interaction is probably the fear of failure. We approach such milestones with great expectations. What if we don't live up to those pressures? What if we are unable to deliver the desired results?

Sometimes the desire to achieve a personal goal has us so fired up that reaching it literally brings us back down to earth. The adrenaline level drops and we are confronted with the new actual state. Here, reality is often the enemy of wishful thinking. And sometimes it simply doesn't live up to our dreams. As Oskar Wild so rightly noted, there are 2 major misfortunes in life: Getting what we wish for and not getting it.

3. Too much time alone

If you weren't born to be a hermit, you need human contact. It doesn't always have to be the popular party that's the order of the day, but a few well-dosed interpersonal interactions do our souls good. We are designed as communal beings. Humans probably could not have survived their evolution as loners. We need the protection of the group and the group needs every single member. Even talking to people who don't surf 100% on our wavelength is better than no communication at all.

Often it is actually the comparison with the life and suffering stories of others that makes us go home again satisfied and happy. Even those who don't like the company of others benefit from occasional meetings with their peers. For some people, a friendly word in the morning at the bakery or a quick chat at the supermarket checkout is enough. Still others need the daily exchange with as many contemporaries as possible as urgently as oxygen. Me-time, enjoyed in homeopathic doses, can be the best remedy for the soul. An overdose, on the other hand, proves to be the purest poison for it.

4. Gastrointestinal complaints

Science has already recognized that our stomach and our digestive tract are capable of more than just transporting our food from A to B. Our stomach has even been given the honorary title of "second brain". Digestive disorders are therefore one of the factors that can have a negative impact on our mood. But the observations of orthodox medicine go much further here.

In recent years, the so-called microbiome has increasingly become the focal point. It is the umbrella term for all intestinal bacteria that ensure law and order in our intestinal mucosa. In more than 30 studies, each involving over 1000 patients, astonishing findings were made. The microbiome of depressed people has significantly fewer anti-inflammatory bacteria that produce butyrate.

Butyrate is a salt of butyric acid. It is one of the short-chain fatty acids and is produced during the fermentation of carbohydrates. In addition, butyric acid, as the name suggests, is present in dairy products. But potatoes, peas, beans, whole grain products and rice are also ideal suppliers of resistant starch. This provides the intestinal bacteria with an excellent source of food.

Today's Conclusion: Our mind and its darkness

Depression is a difficult adversary, both for sufferers and for physicians who must join their patients in the fight against it. The basic assumption is that they are always multifactorial. One component alone is rarely the trigger. When stress and overwork and poor nutrition impose and rob sleep, we open a door. If social isolation and cutting off social contacts are added to the mix, we open another.

In this state of psychological and emotional imbalance, we should not then also be hit by a defeat or a blow of fate. That would probably be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Our soul can withstand a lot if it has to. However, if the constant bombardment comes from several directions at once, the possibilities are also limited. That's it for today.