Everyone has experienced feelings of sadness at some point in their life. Something bad happens to you and suddenly you view things differently, and you feel a lot differently. But depression is more than a feeling.
Depression is a complex mental disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in the things you love, and general life. Depression chemically occurs through neurotransmitters; chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons and target cells throughout the body. Key neurotransmitters that are required to medically develop depression list as: serotonin (involved with mood regulation), Dopamine (messenger for nerve cells, contributes to feelings of motivation and pleasure, and influences memory, mood, and sleep), Norepinephrine (chemical released during feeling of stress, danger) and Glutamate (revolves to memory function, and learning ability).
A combination of chemical and electrical signals permits communication between neurons. In the synapse (the space between that neuron and the dendrite of a neighboring neuron) a signal is released that contains neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitter molecules begin to tether with receptors embedded in the membranes of the two neurons, once bonded the first neuron releases a certain amount of chemicals a feedback mechanism contained and controlled by the neuron’s receptors mandates the neuron to stop pumping out of the neurotransmitter and retreat back into the cell. This process is referred to as reabsorption and reuptake, chemically causing clinical depression.
Described from a physical point of view, “Depression feels like a heavy blanket over your whole body. The blanket is so heavy, you give up trying to lift it. Emotionally; depression feels overwhelmingly draining. It feels like a workout just to respond to people after they speak to you.”
Clinical depression: a disorder formed from 3 neurotransmitters in your brain, can cause mental and physical fluctuations that could escalate to life-threatening products.