Family history:- Genetics play an important part in depression. It can run in families for generalities

Trauma and Stress:– Things like financial problems, the backup of a relationship, or the death of a loved one can bring on depression.

Pessimistic Personality:– People who have low selt – esteem and a negative outlook are at higher risk of becoming depressed. These traits may actually be caused by low level depression (called dysthymia)

Physical Conditions:- Serious medical condition like heart disease, cancer and HIV can contribute to depression, party because of the physical weakness and stress they bring on. Depression can make medical condition worse, since it weakness the immune system and can make pain harder to bear. In some cases depression can by caused by allopathic medications used to treat medical conditions.

Other psychological disorders:- Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia and (especially) substance abuse often appear along with depression.

Clinical Features

• Depressed mood

• Loss of interest or pleasure

• Feelings of hopelessness and general negative attitude towards selt, world and the future.

• Depressed mood in a depressed patient often has a distinct quality that differentiates it form the normal emotion of sadness or grief.

• Complain of reduced energy and difficulty in initiating activities.

• Disturbances in sleep, difficulty in initiating sleep, multiple awakenings during the night and early morning awakening.

• Decreased appetite and weight loss.

• Anxiety is also common co-morbid symptom.

Different Homoeopathic Remedies

Homoeopathic medicines are very effective in treatment of depression. The main medicines are:-

1. Arsenic album:- sadness, restlessness irritability, anxiety, and fear. Thinks it is useless to make medicines for his depression. Depression on account of a hidden feeling of guilt.

2. Aurum Metallicum:- Feeling of self – condemnation and utter worthlessness. Profound despondency increased blood pressure, with through disgust of life and thoughts of suicide.

3. Calcaria.Carb:- Anxiety with palpitation. Apprehensive, worse towards evening, fears loss of reason, misfortunes, and contagious diseases.

4. Calcaria. Ars:- Great depression, Anger, anxiety. Confusion, delusion, illusions.

5. China:- Apathetic, indifferent, disobedient, taciturn, despondent. Sudden crying and fussing about. (Schizophrenia)

6. Ignatia:– Depression due to grief and worry. Melancholic, full of contradictions, fearful. Blames herself for everything that goes wrong.

7. Kali Phos:- Extreme lassitude and depression,. Very nervous, irritable,Anxiety.Great despondency about business, depression caused by excitement, overworks, worry and insomnia.

8. Lycopodium:- Depression of a student after failing in School Examination.

9. Staphysagaria:- Depression on account of insults and anger. Depression without any cause or from sexual sins or of a forced sexual intercourse.

Others useful medicines are:- Ambra Grisea, Ammonium Carb., Gelsemium, Conium, Thuja, Pulsatilla, Natrum Mur., Phosphorus, Ocimum Can, Nux Vomica., Helleoborus Nigar, etc.