What Are the Causes of Depressive Disorder?
“Depressive disorder” is a generalized term. As the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains, there are a variety of depressive disorders, the most common being major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. While these disorders vary in the criteria needed for diagnosis, they do have one thing in common–causes and risk factors. In fact the causes and risk factors are similar for all depressive disorders, regardless of the type or how they are categorized.
