Major Depression

As a mental disorder, depression may severely impact growth and development as well as peer and family relationships and can be associated with great socio-economic costs (REF 1 & 2). It has been linked to various health risk-related behaviours (HRBs), such as tobacco use, alcoholism and unhealthy eating habits. It has also been found to act as a risk factor for multiple conditions including cardiovascular diseases (REF 2 & 5& 9). Such effects can be extremely pronounced as suggested by statistics reflecting that Major depression affects 3 to 5 percent of children and adolescents (REF 1). Thus, an intervention to reduce such data is required. However, in search of an effective treatment it is necessary to understand the causes lying behind

These certainly include the role of genetic predisposition to depression. Nonetheless, as will be discussed, genetic vulnerability is only one of many triggers that may contribute to the expression of MD rather than being the only cause behind this mental health issue. Numerous factors play a role as either protective or risk factors thus impacting whether this genetic predisposition is then expressed. Yet, note that for episodes of MD, reasons do not act as causes. This means that understanding the disorder does not equal explanation to its causes but instead may help to draw a complete image of its symptoms (REF 3). There is no denial that genetic factors play a role in the formation of the disorder, however other biological, psychological and social dimensions such as obesity (REF 6), parenting styles (REF 7) and personality (REF 16) have also been found to positively correlate with

These include asthma and diabetes (REF 22). According to World Mental Health surveys (2007) depression is strongly associated with chronic physical conditions. Consequently, and due to the bidirectional approach adopted by many researchers, chronic illnesses can be considered as triggers for depression. However, depression is not only associated with physical illnesses but also with a variety of mental illnesses and health issues. These, most commonly, include anxiety. Statistics revealing that approximately 85% of patients with depression have anxiety, and 90% of patients with an anxiety disorder have depression (REF 23) are clearly indicative of the link between depression and one of many mental health disorders. This therefore reflects the increased risk of being diagnosed with depression upon diagnosis of other mental