Introduction to Susceptibility

Susceptibility to depression is also to be considered along with causes for depression, while diagnosing a person’s propensity to get depressed as both are inter-linked. There are ‘risk factors’ involved for the onset of depression. All people may be equally susceptible to depression; but in some types of depressions, some people are more prone to get this illness. When we observe the affected people, we understand the nature of susceptibility in those people. We may know the ‘risk factors’ in them.

Susceptibility to Depression

A susceptibility or risk factor for depression can be defined as the heightened probability of getting depressed. Risk or no risk, one may still get depression if one is prone to it. The more number of risks, the higher possibility of getting depressed. The susceptibility to depression may be associated with some or all of the following factors:

Anxiety Factor: Stressful state is a major susceptibility. People who face trauma, difficult family and financial problems, and personal and social difficulties may undergo stress. These conditions are ideal for depression to set in.

Hereditary Factor: This depressive disorder is handed down to successive generations through transfer of genetic code. Children may get depressed if their parents have history of the disorder. People with People in such families are susceptible to depression.

Illness Factor: It is well established that bodily illnesses do have profound impact on mental health. Physical discomfiture can lead to stressful conditions. People who suffer from cancer, heart related problems, AIDS, hormonal stress disorders, psychological disorders are susceptible to depressive disorder. Persons with earlier history of depression are more prone to get a bout of depression again.

Parental Factor: Lack or absence of parental support in younger years may have effect in later years. Single parent homes are more prone to stress and anxiety. Mothers living alone with kids feel helpless, lonely and cut off. The personal and financial struggle in self-supporting her kids becomes very stressful for her. Such people are at major risk.

Emotional Factor: People with low confidence levels, gloomy thoughts, and dejection are easily stressed out. Other risks include occupational stress, behavioral anxiety, personal deficiencies and problems, domestic violence etc. Persons who are antagonistic and belligerent, who are largely independent and those who no longer derive any pleasure by indulging in their pet activities are very susceptible at getting depressed.

Status Factor: Socio-economic indicators are broadly known in any society. People of lower strata, both socially and financially, will always reflect on their fate. They suffer from demonstration effect. They compare and suffer. They feel deprived of opportunities. They feel neglected. They suffer from financial, social, and cultural inadequacies. They are at a greater risk.

Gender Factor: Women are more susceptible to depression than men. They are twice as much prone as men. Hormones are the culprits for women depression. Variations in these compounds bring enormous changes in women’s physiological conditions. Women also face other risks such as pre-menstrual changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, postnatal anxiety, menopause, etc. They also face occupational tensions, sexual abuses, single parent responsibilities etc.

Age Factor: Elder people and depression go hand in hand. Their susceptibility increases with their advancing age. They are at a higher risk because their immune system will not be very efficient. Their resilient and rebounding capacity will be decreasing all the time. Also they will be beset with old-age illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, dementia, etc.

Sleep Factor: A person’s sleep routine may be disturbed either due to an injury or some illness. Prolonged sleep inconvenience may result in mental agitation and physical weariness. These conditions may trigger stress in a person in the long run.

Drug Factor: When a person is suffering from some disease or illness, some medications may be prescribed for treatment. And this drug management of illness may have many serious physical and mental side effects on the person. For example, treatment for cancer may entail chemotherapy which is a very debilitating treatment with a lot of severe physical and physiological effects on the person. Such severe stressful condition is a certain candidate for depression. Other medications that may make a person depressed are sedatives, cortisone medications, epilepsy drugs, anti-hypertensive drugs, cholesterol treatment medications, thyroid correction medicines, asthma treatment drugs etc.