'Critically consider the view that depression has psychological origins.'

It is the assumptions made in this area that hinder the research. For example, the results from the study on Amish families showed a certain variation on chromosome 11. These findings where not replicated elsewhere but neither has it been shown that in gene alone would cause depression. Scientific and technological advances are required in this area before research can be more conclusive.

The psychological models offer the major explanations of the causes of depression. With the psychodynamic model, it is stated that depression is a reaction to actual or symbolic loss e.g. a friend or job, respectively. Freud stated that greater loss and grief during childhood increased susceptibility and the depth of depression experienced. However, Crook and Eliot '80 found little evidence of a connection between early loss and risk of depression in later life.

The behavioural model demonstrates learned helplessness in Seligman's '67 study. In this experiment, dogs were subjected to unavoidable electric foot shocks and then avoidable ones. The dogs had learnt in the first condition that they could not escape and thereafter did not try to escape from the second, as they believed the same to be true. This behaviour appears to show great resemblance to the manor in which depressed people believe all of their efforts will be fruitless and give up before trying. There is little empirical evidence to show how learned helplessness applies to real life situations.

Beck '74 developed a cognitive theory that does correspond with the notion of learned helplessness. The cognitive triad involves negative beliefs concerning the self, the future and the rest of the world. These negative thought patterns create something of a downward spiral in the individual, as their outlook becomes increasingly negative.

Cognitive therapies are very effective which seems to suggest that this may be one of the most significant causes. On the other hand, it cannot yet be proved whether negative thinking causes the depression or depression causes the negative thinking.

As shown, there are numerous explanations offered by various perspectives, all of which have received varying degrees of support from research studies. Currently, much of the thinking behind the findings is not complementary, as theories often do not mix. It is also a very complex issue to distinguish causality and effect. Consequently, there is still some way to go before an explanation encompassing all of the information brought to light can be widely accepted.

Jo Taylor