And the longer the immigrants lived in the U.S. the greater their risk for psychiatric problems. Traditional Mexican cultural effects and social ties, then, appear to protect newly arrived immigrants from mental illness, even when they are poor. Eventually, however, the consequences of Americanization lead to depressionprobably resulting from feelings of alienation and inferioritynot only in many Mexican Americans, but in other impoverished minority groups as well. Accompanying Medical or Emotional Disorders. Severe or Chronic Medical Conditions.
Depression follows or is caused by many medications or serious medical problems.
A number of studies have associated low cholesterol and high triglyceride levels with depression, although it is not clear whether these factors or accompanying health problems reduce spirits. Some experts believe that a syndrome of migraine headaches, anxiety, and depression, which occurs in some people, is caused by single genetic defect that regulates dopaminea chemical messenger in the brain. Emotional and Personality Disorders . Chronic depression is a frequent companion to anxiety disorders. Personality disorders, such as borderline and avoidant personalities, appear to strongly predispose people not only to a first episode of depression but to relapses.