Depression has arguably reached epidemic proportions in the Western world. Most people with the disease are never diagnosed. It is also common. Studies of adolescents in New Zealand suggest that 40% experience depression during their teenage years.

Prozac is the second best-selling drug in the US with sales now exceeding $1.2 billion a year. However, no drug will ever address the cause of depression. Drugs, in effect, numb the mind and emotions while the body hopefully regains its balance.

There are many potential causes of depression, but the number one culprit is negative thinking accompanied by emotional illiteracy. Let me explain. When we worry and stress, or feel very negative about who we are or how life is going, we drain our energy. In fact, we may have so little energy left that we can’t get out of bed. Our head may be so clouded or clogged with worry that we may not be able to focus on work or think clearly. When we’re stressed like this, our body/mind system just wants to shut down and take time to recover. That’s how it is. We find ourselves wanting to withdraw from the world and all responsibilities. We can close the door, go to bed and try to close our eyes in the hope of waking up in better circumstances six months from now. However, the culprit all the time is not wanting or feeling able to face ourselves or the outside world. However, the way we relate to anything depends on the perspective we take. We can see the glass half full or half empty.

There is a proven link between depression and pessimism. One leads to the other. Look around you and see if you can find a depressed optimist. Depressed people, then, can be trained to see themselves and life differently, even when a crisis looms. There are many stories of people who have risen above their circumstances because of the perspectives they have taken. Consider the story of Victor Frankl, who was naked, stripped of his clothes, in a concentration camp cell when he realized that, despite his circumstances, the Nazis had no control over his mind and that the way he that he chose to think was totally his. own choice. He also noted that the perspectives taken by his fellow prisoners largely determined how well they coped with prison life and which ones survived the ordeal.

If we feel held back by life, depression can follow. Repression can be caused by feeling oppressed by the boss, by your partner, by the unhealthy or unpleasant environment in which you live or work, by responsibilities that you feel are weighing you down, or by the belief that your life will never be good again. due to recent changes or developments. However, the worst form of repression is the way you talk to yourself. If you are very self-critical or mistrustful of yourself, and generally beat yourself up, this also causes depression.

What ensures that depression will persist is repressing any emotions that it brings up. This means that emotional energy, instead of being expressed, is suppressed and tends to be channeled back into thought, thus creating a loop. Negative thinking causes negative emotions that cause negative thoughts, and so on.

Toxins in the body from ingesting chemicals in food, poor nutrition, can also be a cause. In addition, the use of drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and also toxic additives in food can affect the absorption of nutrients that the body needs, or cause the nutrients to be used to eliminate toxins from the body. Once the body is thrown out of balance, a chain reaction can occur that can lead to food sensitivities and allergies. Postpartum depression is an example of such an imbalance, in this case in hormone levels. It’s possible these could be triggered by pharmaceutical drugs, so it’s worth investigating the ‘side effects’ (a euphemism for ‘toxic effects’) of any medication you take. Immunization has also been linked to depression.

For similar reasons, environments that contain toxins can also trigger a depressive episode. There are many possible ‘baddies’. These include lead, mercury, fluoride, heavy metals, pesticides, or any other chemicals we use at home or at work. Environments that are unsettling, annoying, or “depressing” can also take their toll. Abusive domestic situations are well known triggers for depression, and on quite a different note, a lack of sunlight in winter is enough to trigger the ‘winter blues’.

Whether you have a short-term “situational depression,” such as can occur after bereavement or losing your job, or a long-term depression, the underlying processes at play are similar. Often people get over this when they put the loss into perspective by going through the natural grieving process. There are some in the medical profession who claim that bipolar disorder (swings from high to low and back) is related to body chemistry, the presence or absence of certain key minerals. However, I have never seen any evidence that such an imbalance in body chemistry is the cause, rather than the effect, of depression. I believe, along with others, that bipolar disorder is initially caused by a similar mismanagement of the mind and emotions, and that a cure is possible by changing the way we use them. However, bipolar disorder can be more advanced in the sense that it is more entrenched, sometimes accompanied by changes in body chemistry and making it seem more difficult to change.

So, in order to overcome depression, it is important to learn to deal with the stress of life and stop worrying, being critical of yourself and others, and looking at life pessimistically and gloomily. This requires a change of perspective. Is the riddle half empty or half full. There may also be a need to take a careful look at how well your life circumstances are serving you. Are you meeting your needs in your relationships, your work, your free time, and living where you live? Is there a part of you that longs for a change in your lifestyle that for some reason you are not making a reality? Perhaps you feel unable to quit your job, spend time away from the kids, take time just for yourself, or escape from a relationship that isn’t serving you. Feeling powerless to do anything, you may feel trapped. Talking about your situation with a good listener will help a lot, especially sharing your feelings about any situation that catches you up or worries you.

However, for anyone to change their life, the courage to step out of their comfort zone is required. Get support to make the changes you know are necessary. Ask friends, professionals, whoever you need to, and treat yourself like number one until you get better. Doing nothing will mean that you will continue to live feeling bad, as you always have and probably without hope that anything will change. That’s depressing.

In The 12 Choices of Winners, which is basically a life coaching book, I’ll show you how to use mental and emotional management skills to escape depression and anxiety for good.