Depression is becoming more prevalent in America despite our relative wealth and privilege when compared to many other areas of the world. Around 26% of our population suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. Over 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety, and close to 10% of the U.S. adult population takes powerful prescription drugs that treat mood disorders.
Depression affects 10% of us including 25% of women in their 40s and 50s. It is now the leading cause of disability worldwide. People with chronic depression frequently have serious biochemical imbalances in their neurological tissue.
Let’s take a deeper look at the root causes involved in depression and some effective natural support methods to address overall well-being and depression.
Mood disorders
Mood disorders occur across a spectrum including:
- Mania with psychosis
- Mania
- Hypomania
- Elation
- Dysthymia
- Mild depression
- Moderate depression
- Severe depression
- Severe depression with psychosis
Brain inflammation and depression
New research suggests that this imbalance is not due to genetic factors. Rather, the studies indicate that depression may be a result of excessive exposure to environmental toxins or severe nutritional deficiencies due to lifestyle that result in massive brain inflammation. This inflammation disrupts normal neurological processing.
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