What Causes Clinical Depression

Clinical depression touches so many lives, not only the clinically depressed person's but their family and friends. So what causes clinical depression?

Everyone walking the planet has needs. When these basic needs aren't met we don't function as well and this can lead us down the path of clinical depression. The following are the main basic human needs:

Need for Emotional connection to others - This begins in the womb, we live inside our mother and therefore feel a connection to her. When we are born and grow we need emotional connection to others for many reasons - to feel loved, to feel a part of group, to become more intimate with a lover. When we lose this connection we feel cut off and lonely.

Need for attention - We need to both give and receive attention. When we do something really well or achieve something in our lives and no one is there to share it with us our need for attention isn't being met. Also, we feel good when we give someone or something our attention. This is why when someone is feeling lonely they are sometimes recommended to buy a pet.

Need to feel safe - If we feel safe in our surroundings we can flourish and grow. If this 'safety' is taken away and we are always looking over our shoulder for danger, we shrink back into ourselves. When this need isn't met it can lead to a lack of trust.

Need for control - Routine is important, we need to know that tomorrow just like every day we'll be able to eat. We need to know that those we love aren't going to suddenly go off and leave us. We feel good when we are able to make our own choices and not have someone else make them for us.

Need for friendship - We need to know that whatever we do in life we have someone who we can trust and that they in return trust us. The need for friendship is nurturing because without it we feel isolated and can begin to mistrust society.

Need to feel part of society - This is about acceptance of who we are in the world. We are social animals that live by certain 'community' rules. When we break one of those rules we feel ostricised. We feel like an outcast and the need to redeem ourselves can be great. When we are a part of society we feel like we belong.

Need for privacy - Sometimes we need our own space. Though we have a need to feel a part of society we wouldn't want to be with other people all the time. We should value our privacy because it helps us recharge and organise our thoughts, away from the hustle and bustle of life. If we never get any time to ourselves and are always giving to others it can lead to burn out.

Need for a sense of status in the community - Many of us go to school then onto college or university to improve our status for when we go into the outside world. It's important to feel a sense of importance in the community though sadly, sometimes this can get distorted when we become power crazy, but that's a whole other issue.

Need for a sense of achievement - Whatever we do we want to feel we do it well. We want to feel we are competent.

Need For a sense of purpose and meaning - When we don't feel stretched either physically or mentally we become bored and stagnant. Life has to have meaning and purpose. It is important that it is exciting for us yet at the same time mean something.