What causes people to feel depressed without there being a problem?

Question

I have noticed that some people have lives that appear perfectly fine, yet they feel depressed. In my specific case the feeling typically lasts for a few days and then magically disappears, only to reappear a couple of weeks later.

In the absence of a real problem (e.g., loss of a close friend, physical sickness, etc), what causes these periods of negative affect?

I assume you are not talking about Major Depression, correct? Major Depression is rare without external stresses, but "normal depression" is common in all individuals without extreme stressors — Ben Brocka, Jun 14 '12 at 14:15
@BenBrocka: Indeed, not Major Depressions. In fact, not anything that would be labeled as a depression, because (in my case) it only lasts for a couple of days at most. — Simon Verbeke, Jun 14 '12 at 14:18
You should take a look at this question about endogenous versus exogenous reasoning in depression diagnosis. Your question might in-fact be a duplicate of that, but I haven't thought too closely about it. — Artem Kaznatcheev, Jun 14 '12 at 20:52
Poor diet and lack of exercise. Or maybe you are getting just smart enough to grasp the pointlessness of your present form of existence. Good news - all of those are easily addressable by making life changes. — dtech, Jul 05 '18 at 23:53
Related: Why does a person feel sad without knowing the reason? — Arnon Weinberg, Nov 19 '18 at 18:27

Jay · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-14T16:29:01.823

"Their lives are perfectly fine" is a hard to test thing. Hard to compare. How people feel and respond is deeply contextual.

However there are several potential reasons:

They may be 'wired' to feel stress or respond emotionally (i.e. Due to the way their brain has developed).
A feeling of not being in control (This is often hard to perceive from outside and removed from concrete factors). The causes and triggers of this are varied and complex.
A physical response. e.g. Things like a sensitivity to Gluten can cause incredible changes to our emotions and physiology. Often this manifests in good and bad periods.
Negativity can be a reflection of the context or surroundings. Those same people may appear positive in a different context.
Mental illness can manifest in uneven patterns. This spans from mild (common) to severe symptoms.

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 22 '13 at 13:35

3

I would also like to point out that there is a clear difference between a psychological depression and an existential one. I would like to point out the definitions of James Park of the University of Minnesota; please have a look at the table at the bottom of this page.

So then, people with perfectly fine lives might well end up with a "clinical existential" depression.

answered Sep 22 '13 at 13:35

I really like this, your introduction of existential vs psychological depression. I would have said endogenous vs reactive, but this is another perspective and I really like it +1 – Nov 24 '13 at 22:31
Thank you Skippy. Always nice to know one´s comments are appreciated :-) – Nov 24 '13 at 22:32
of course! I always try to welcome people.. and you've really struck an interesting cord for me.. there are a lot of unanswered questions here, feel free to potter and answer at your leisure :) hint hint lol – Nov 24 '13 at 22:35
Hehe - fair enough and very welcoming of you. I take it slow, as I find some posts here a little heavy on the over-psychologising. Trying to be helpful and positive. – Nov 24 '13 at 22:37
have a look at this http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/5016/is-the-a-difference-between-existential-depression-and-endogenous-depression – Nov 24 '13 at 22:43

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 03 '16 at 22:17

Some people with "without a problem" have fallen under Gut Health/Gut Microbiota.

See study:

"A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of multispecies probiotics on cognitive reactivity to sad mood."

"Conclusion: These results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. Probiotics supplementation warrants further research as a potential preventive strategy for depression."

Also see: Depression, The Microbiome & Leaky Gut

References:

http://www.drperlmutter.com/study/randomized-controlled-trial-test-effect-multispecies-probiotics-cognitive-reactivity-sad-mood/#sthash.mtkhAYRd.dpuf
http://www.drperlmutter.com/depression-microbiome-leaky-gut/
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain–for Life, Dr. David Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg

What causes people to feel depressed without there being a problem?

3 Answers3