what were the causes of the great depression?

Answer 1

Like the GREAT depression of the 1920's or depression in general?
Because the GREAT depression of the 1920's was the stock market crash. I do believe. Lots of people lost jobs & were homeless. Many suicides & many divorces. It was crazy.

Answer 2

There's no single known cause for depression. The illness often runs in families. Experts believe a genetic vulnerability combined with environmental factors, such as stress or physical illness, may trigger an imbalance in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, resulting in depression. Imbalances in three neurotransmitters — serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine — seem to be linked to depression.

Scientists don't fully understand how imbalances in neurotransmitters cause signs and symptoms of depression. It's not certain whether changes in neurotransmitters are a cause or a result of depression.

Factors that contribute to depression include:

Heredity. Researchers have identified several genes that may be involved in bipolar disorder, and they're looking for genes linked to other types of depression. But not everyone with a family history of depression develops the disorder, and conversely, people with no family history of the disorder can become depressed.

Stress. Stressful life events, particularly a loss or threatened loss of a loved one or a job, can trigger depression.

Medications. Long-term use of certain medications, such as some drugs used to control high blood pressure, sleeping pills or, occasionally, birth control pills, may cause symptoms of depression in some people.

Illnesses. Having a chronic illness, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer or Alzheimer's disease, puts you at higher risk of developing depression. Having an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), even mildly, also can cause depression.

Personality. Certain personality traits, such as having low self-esteem and being overly dependent, self-critical, pessimistic and easily overwhelmed by stress, can make you more vulnerable to depression.

Postpartum depression. It's common for mothers to feel a mild form of distress that usually occurs a few days to weeks after giving birth. During this time you may have feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, irritability and incompetence. A more severe form of the baby blues, called postpartum depression, also can affect new mothers.

Hormones. Women experience depression about twice as much as men, which leads researchers to believe hormonal factors may play a role in the development of depression.

Alcohol, nicotine and drug abuse. Experts once thought that people with depression used alcohol, nicotine and mood-altering drugs as a way to ease depression. But using these substances may actually contribute to depression and anxiety disorders.