10 reasons why some people are more prone to depression

More and more people are suffering from depression. Why do we get depressed so easily - and why are some people more susceptible than others?

These behaviors make us depressed.

Almost one in five people will suffer from depression in their lifetime. That number is frightening. Women are affected more often than men. What to do when mom can't anymore? Even mothers are not spared from depression.

But why is it that so many people slip into depression? The concrete reasons are usually as individual as they are intangible. But there are certain things that make us more vulnerable. We took a closer look at the causes and looked at behaviors that increase the risk of developing depression.

behaviors behind depression

1. Learned helplessness

Some people assume that their actions in life are pointless and lead nowhere. Such self-underestimation not only leads to disturbed self-confidence in the long run, but can also lead to depression. Learned helplessness describes a person's development and self-limitation due to experienced failures that create a sense of powerlessness. It is a kind of block from your own body – even if you could objectively actively change something in a situation, the people affected see themselves as unable to do so.

2. Vicious cycle of negative thoughts

Being stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts is extremely draining. Fears and worries circle through your head around the clock and cannot be turned off. One is no longer able to control one's thought processes once they are headed in a negative direction. The negative spiral can be about itself ("Why didn't I do a certain thing differently? Am I behaving correctly? What could I have done better?"), or about worries about people close to me and about the future.

3. Exhaustion

The negative spiral leads to exhaustion. Depressed people are trapped - they can't just brush aside fears or bad experiences, instead they take over their mindset. Distraction is virtually impossible, which in turn leads to a constant state of exhaustion.

4. Lack of motivation

Even beautiful projects become a burden. While people used to enjoy hanging out with friends, even such pleasant dates become negative when you're depressed. This is due to the fact that depressed people's ability to make decisions suffers - they find it difficult to make decisions - the weighing up of the positive and negative affects of an act becomes unbalanced, so that only the bad sides outweigh the bad ones. Affected people feel pressured, lacking in motivation and listlessness.

5. Negative memories

Thoughts seem to get stuck on bad experiences and occurrences of the past. The memory of negative events actively affects the current mood of some people, even if they happened a long time ago. Positive memories, in turn, boost mood.

Depression: A vicious cycle of negative thought patterns

6. Schemes

Negative thoughts make some people fall into a pattern over time. Then they are no longer noticed by the person concerned - negative basic assumptions, expectations and self-perception take root in their heads. Without help, they find it difficult to get out of this cycle, as the negative schemas become normal for them.

7. Pursue unattainable goals

Letting go is much harder for some people than others. They always try to hold on to things that have already failed and blame themselves for it. Passion and the ability to fight for something is admirable. But only as long as you don't suffer yourself. Pursuing unattainable goals leads to failure - which can eventually lead to depression.

8. Difficulty solving problems

Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. People with depression know this very well. It may be difficult for outsiders to understand: sometimes you try your best and still get stuck. This also includes creating problems when none exist at all. This behavior can also be a result of learned helplessness. People who struggle to find a solution to their problems while underestimating themselves are more likely to become depressed. They look for bad things when they aren't there.

9. Self-medication: drugs

Some people are more prone to numbing themselves than others. The circling thoughts are exhausting - so that those affected like to take a drug to have a moment's rest from the incessantly turning negative spiral. It can start with a glass of red wine that quickly turns into a bottle. Unpleasant feelings are repressed instead of processed, a behavior that makes us more prone to depression.

10. Personality Types

Ultimately, anyone can develop depression. However, some personalities are more prone to it than others. An example of this are neurotic people who worry about a lot in everyday life. A pronounced neurosis can lead to isolation if your behavior meets with incomprehension from those around you. In this case, the risk of falling into depression is increased.