What is depression? A very common question. Depression is a serious illness, in which you get feelings of hopelessness, you feel down and gloomy and feelings of guilt unhappiness and low self esteem. It involves body, mood, and mind/thoughts. Some of the symptoms include empty moods or mood swings, loss of interest in enjoyable hobbies and activities, and feelings of hopelessness and guilt.

What causes depression? There isn't a precise cause for depression but there are many theories about its causes. Most believe that it's caused by more than one or two factoring influences. Some of the causes from the theories are : biological and genetic factors, environmental influences, and childhood or developmental events.

References:

“depression”, The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, This page last reviewed: February 28, 2008, http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

“ Causes of Depression”, ISMHO,This page was last updated on September 9, 2004, http://www.allaboutdepression.com/cau_01.html