Some people develop depression after a stressful event in their lives. All people feel stress sometimes, but people react to stress in different ways. For example, some people might feel a lot of stress when driving, while others might find driving relaxing. Events such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship are often negative and traumatic and cause great stress for many people. Stress is characterized by feelings of tension, frustration, worry, sadness and withdrawal that commonly last from a few hours to a few days. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. And, no single stressful event will cause depression to develop in every person. If a person is under continuous stress, a single difficult event may be more likely to induce a depressive episode.

Causes of stress and depression

• Financial stress.
• Losing another family member.
• Job loss.
• Household changes.
• Substance abuse stress.

Symptoms of stress and depression

• Loss of appetite.
• Restlessness and irritability.
• Thoughts of death or suicide.
• Losing interest in sex.
• Feeling restless, tense and anxious.
• Being irritable.
• Sleep disturbance.

Treatment of stress and depression

• Severe instances of depression should be treated with medication that acts on the brain chemistry, affecting the chemical pathways associated with mood.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been prescribed for some time.
• Exercise on a regular basis helps to burn off and use up the stress hormones and neurochemicals.
• Less severe forms of depression can be treated effectively with psychotherapy.
• When medication is not a viable option, when medications are not effective, or in cases of debilitation or high risk of suicide, electroconvulsive therapy may be used to relieve symptoms of depression.