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Can depression be caused by traumatic events?

28 Answers
Last Updated: 09/14/2021 at 8:16pm
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United States
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Top Rated Answers
recurrenced
September 1st, 2015 8:39pm
It can. Emotional and psychological trauma can trigger certain feelings and it can ultimately lead to depression. You may feel anxiety, fear, shock, sad, or hopeless and this can cause severe depression.
BillieG
August 3rd, 2015 1:05pm
Depression can be caused by a large number of things. Experiencing a traumatic event in our life could almost certainly be a contributing factor towards depression, however this may not be the sole cause. Depression can be caused from a build up of many things in your life, ultimately leading to this illness. If you have experienced a traumatic event and are feeling very low, as though you may be depressed, please see a medical professional.
AMomentInTime1830
September 14th, 2021 8:16pm
Absolutely. Simply stated,… if you do not deal with the trauma in the days following, a spiral effect of emotions and coping issues are likely to present. It’s important to remember that we aren’t built to understand or process some things that we may experience in life, and at times, may need help and support from an outside source to help us manage our feelings and thoughts afterwards. Depression can come from a sense of confusion, guilt, shame, grief etc. And any one of these issues if not dealt with properly, can fester and become overwhelming and consuming. Take care of yourself, and your mind and remember that it’s okay that you don’t understand, there are people out there who are trained and knowledgeable in dealing with these types of situations and they are there specifically to help you through them
SpaceCase09
January 7th, 2019 5:19am
Yes, depression can definitely be caused by a traumatic event. When someone experiences trauma in their life, it changes how they see the world around them. They may struggle perfoming certain tasks because they are consumed with the memory of their trauma. Traumatic events can also cause the victim to have a significantly lowered self-esteem and confidence. This itself can lead to depression if it gets bad enough, but it also could potentially allow bullying. Bullying contributes greatly to depression by further lowering a victim’s self-esteem and causing them to feel worthless. Traumatic events can also make a victim feel as though they are powerless.
gForce
September 27th, 2016 7:41pm
Yes, sure, and it can also not be caused by traumatic events. Different people have different thinking patterns, and ways of making themselves depressed. Think about how you make yourself depressed. How do you do it? What is the pattern?
Anonymous
August 1st, 2016 2:13pm
Yes!, it totally can. For example if you got chased by a dog in a scary neighbourhood, the next time you come across that neighbourhood, you experience always comes to mind, its the same idea with depression. I got into an early stage of depression after my breakup, i started to feel like there was no hope, and that i had no life without him. Someone may become depressed after their parent dies, or their sibling dies for many reasons, so yes!, not only can depression be caused by traumatic events, its mostly due to traumatic events experienced.
helpfulsam99
July 14th, 2016 5:40am
Yes. Trauma victims frequently become depressed or have symptoms very similar to depression (lack of motivation, sleeping too much or not enough, irritability, etc.). If you go through trauma, you have a good chance of feeling depressed.
shootforthemoon1224
July 5th, 2016 11:39am
yes, depression can very often begin with a traumatic event or grief. traumatic events usually means distress and anxious which can lead to depression or PTSD
Link22
May 24th, 2016 7:52pm
Sometimes. But you could also be experiencing PTSD. That means you may feel anxious and triggered by certain things that bring up a traumatic experience.
Anonymous
May 23rd, 2016 9:26am
Yes, very much so, it can be caused by any traumatic event that stuck out to you in your past, have you experienced any traumatic events?
InvisibleMonster
April 25th, 2016 9:53pm
Yes it can, If you experience something traumatic and its never dealt with and it keeps coming back can definitely lead to depression, its best to speak about these things and try to get them off your chest and work though them so you can feel more at ease
Anonymous
March 21st, 2016 2:25am
Yes it certainly can. It could also cause some sort of PTSD if you are triggered by certain things. If you need anyone to talk to, choose any listener.
ViewFromTheClouds
October 26th, 2015 3:28pm
Unfortunately, yes. Feeling depressed can be triggered by a death, or a trauma, or anything that, for whatever reason, causes us to feel depressed.
SilentSerenityy
October 21st, 2015 10:50pm
It has been found that people who have experienced traumatic events in their life time are more likely to develop depression and anxiety.
DayoftheLords
January 22nd, 2015 8:35am
Depression can be caused by sad events, only these events happen to all of us to a certain extent. Sadness is a natural human feeling caused by different situations (loss of a lost one, not getting tje job you wanted, etc.) but depression is different. I advise you to watch Kevin Breel's Ted Talk on depression in which he says that depression is being sad when everything is ok. It's an amazing speech which helped me out a lot as well! :)
AlexandraTheGreat
July 27th, 2015 7:43pm
Yes, it can however it can be minimized or controlled with behavioral therapies and meditations practices such as mindfulness. Staying in the present moment is an important thing to do when dealing with depressing thoughts that cause anxiety and impulsive behavior. Being able to observe your thoughts without acting them is a great way to keep yourself stabilized in everyday life and situations.
BroadwayBaby1
July 21st, 2015 2:28am
Absolutely! Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common among people. Depression is just as common.
JolineKarateGirl
July 20th, 2015 12:48am
Absolutely..many times the victim feel guilty about what happened when they shouldn't but that guilt can lead to depression
Waterbear
July 20th, 2015 12:12am
Yes, especially if the person who experienced the trauma doesn't have a supportive network of family and friends that they can trust.
Pailein
May 27th, 2015 8:50pm
Yes, depression can be caused by traumatic events (but doesn't always do). For example you did something - like hurt a precious person really bad (even if it isn't your fault), you may feel guilty for it and you begin - slowly - think, that you are a horrible person and it will get even worse, if you do more bad things. Depression can also be caused by a death of a friend or somebody like that.
Dovah
May 27th, 2015 6:19pm
Yes, of course. These two can be heavily linked, and sit together hand in hand. If you feel you're suffering from depression after a traumatic event, I'd recommend seeing your doctor, if you're comfortable and he might be better at helping you out. There are also depression self help guides here on the website that may be of some use to you :}
royalWatermelon60
May 10th, 2015 6:29pm
Indeed, people that have had a trauma in the past, may feel like after that, nothing will ever be the same again
Anonymous
April 26th, 2015 10:04am
Yes. Depression can be a result of tramatic events. For an instant, imagine losing every of your family member, in a car accident or due to an earth quake, every time you'll see an accident or hear about it, you'll have that scene flashed back infront of you, raising anxieties, and at times if you're very sensitive or emotional, you're more likely to be depressed.
KimberlyMusic
April 25th, 2015 4:07am
Yes, absolutely. Experiencing traumatic events can trigger all different kinds of reactions for different people, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self harm. Traumatic events make us feel unsafe; chronically feeling this way can exacerbate any number of health issues.
Anonymous
April 10th, 2015 6:49pm
eventually yes...severe depression and sometimes it can be shocking to people it might affect people but ..it affects you most health wise and also physical wise...to maintain a balance is to keep yourself busy and thats it ...you are there girl or guy! :D
Anonymous
March 31st, 2015 7:47pm
Yes, that's possible. When something bad happened to someone and he suffers, he/she can get depressive. But there are also other flashpoints of depression. There are people who suffer from depression, they had a nice childhood without any great events, but some things, which are really normal and okay for others, were bad for them, e.g. because they are very sensitive. It is important for them to know that their depression is not their own fault and it is also seriously. Another factor of depression are genetic endowments. Normally there come many points together: experience, genes, personality, ...
Lior
March 11th, 2015 7:14pm
I personally know a few people who have developed depression from a traumatic event. So the answer is yes, it's a depression and it needs to be dealt.
Anonymous
February 13th, 2015 8:18am
Yes, it can. Not all times though. But sometimes, depression is cause by things that happen around us. Something that has a great impact over us. It could be anything, really. There isn't a list of events. Something that's traumatic for one may not be the same for another. It generally depends on the person and what they go through.