This handout is also available in Spanish . Depression is a medical illness like diabetes or high blood pressure. People don't choose to be depressed.
Depression is an illness.
It's more common in women than in men. The exact cause of depression is not known. Doctors think it may be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. The imbalance could be caused by your genes or by events in your life. When there aren't enough, certain messages don't get carried to some areas of the brain.