Environmental factors are the things that happen to us, like losing a loved one, going through life stresses or experiencing some sort of trauma. They may also be called psychosocial or sociological factors, as they extract things that may be going on in your head, or take you back to more troubled times, in an unconscious way, to develop into depression.
Our experiences can have a direct impact on our state of mind. Factors like the primary relationships we develop, our upbringing or childhood, losses and crises all influence our thoughts, feelings and actions. Our reactions to these experiences are what can cause depression to develop.
Stress is one common example of how something external can result in depression developing. Stress can be positive or negative, and can even combine with genetic factors to make someone vulnerable to developing depression. When we experience chronic stress that causes persistent worry, it can be difficult to make the transition to a more positive state of mind, and depression may develop, in conjunction with these factors.
Traumatic experiences like death, divorce, illness or natural disaster can make us feel like we have lost control of our lives and can lead to the spiral of depression. Constant upheaval in your life, especially upheaval that may lead to other problems with finance and family security, can also contribute to depression.
People who are clinically depressed are also likely to have experienced difficult childhoods. Problematic childhood experiences are usually associated with early-onset depression, or depression before the age of 20.
Because of the complex nature of depression, treatment can be a long term process. In order to address the depression, you and your doctor need to find out how the different influences and factors come together before you can hope to get better. By chatting to doctors at clinics in Las Vegas, you can get advice on integrated treatment to help you restore your quality of life.