Just to chime in here.....I know a bit about the depressed state of being both chemically and based upon ones lifestyle. It is not a condition that has a flat cause and effective treatment can be as simple as a prescription. A sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, lack of sunlight, and irregular sleep patterns are physical factors that cause chemical imbalance. Genetic predisposition, trauma, and unknown factors are to blame as well. There is nonetheless a chemical connection that our mood is predicated upon. It is a dynamic and overdiagnosed "disorder." Evidence linking low levels of hormones, neurotranmsitters, vitamins and minerals to depression certainly exist all of which are imbalances technically. The point of this is to show that so many health disorders can be stacked and glossed over as depression. It is lazily diagnosed and proactive natural means of treatment are under-applied by patients. In my opinion, insurmountable depression is pretty rare. There are causes that we decide to ignore or are simply unaware of, intense emotions are part of the human experience, the pill culture mothers neurotic self-examination and application of states of disorder. The psychology is actually simple. Inward focus (self-obsession) is largely to blame. This perception of our own struggle and all it entitles without any perspective or concern for those of others. In time, outward focus becomes a luxury of the non-affected. I have seen many through this lens and prescribed charity. The action of helping is the only cure I know. The offering of ourselves to serve the needs of others is cathartic, enlarges our connection to others in distress diminishing alienation, people just profoundly change. The research is my own, based upon my own success and having that to share effectively with others.