Depression and anxiety have spiked in recent years. But, people may have differing ideas of what depression is, and what causes it. A functional medicine approach to depression helps treat the whole person by addressing the root cause, and the causes may surprise you.

As a parallel, I recently had a brake problem in my car, and the “diagnosis” I made was completely different from the one my mechanic made.  My diagnosis was descriptive, “the brakes squeak and the car pulls to the left,” I said to my mechanic.  The diagnosis he made was that the rotors and brake pads were worn down.

My car diagnosis, like the ones often given to patients who suffer from depression and other psychiatric disorders, was descriptive of symptoms.  The other meaning of the word diagnosis is to define the cause.  That’s what depression really is; definitive, testable, modifiable causes.

Here is a short list of 21 other causes of depression:

1. The belief that I can only be happy if I can control the behavior of others, especially significant others.
2. Consumption of too much of the American 5 basic food groups – caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, sugar and Trans fats.
3. Inability to accept losses and letting go.
4. Inability to express ones true feelings.
5. Going to sleep very late and sleeping in.
6. Maintaining a belief that depression just happens, that well-studied causes are still unknown, and that only 3 options exist – tough it out, see a therapist, or medicate it.
7. A belief that the answers and the truth do not come from within, that the answers to important questions in life depend on external circumstances.
8. Feeling entitled to all the good things in life and never believing that one should have to exert effort to get them (like getting into psychotherapy).
9. Never eating organic food.
10. Never filtering one’s water and drinking from the tap.
11. Believing that everyone must approve of me and like me.
12. Believing that I and others should be infallible (perfectionism).
13. Believing that the world should be fair and that I should always get what I want in life.
14. Consumption of too much processed food.
15. Never getting enough sunlight.
16. Excess consumption of prescription drugs.
17. Only breathing indoor air and not breathing fresh air.
18. Keep one’s cell phone glued to the side of one’s face (and not using neutralizing devices).
19. Not consuming enough antioxidants, vitamins, essential fatty acids or minerals.
20. Dishonesty and persistently breaking agreements.
21. Not getting enough exercise.

My car diagnosis, like the ones often given to patients who suffer from depression and other psychiatric disorders, was descriptive of symptoms.  The other meaning of the word diagnosis is to define the cause.  That’s what depression really is; definitive, testable, modifiable causes.

The root causes of depression can be:

• immunological (e.g., gluten sensitivity)
• infectious (e.g., Candida or Lyme)
• allergic (e.g., pollen)
• toxic (e.g., mercury)
• metabolic (e.g., hypoglycemia)
• psycho emotional (e.g., irrational thinking, or unfinished emotional trauma (PTSD) and/or genetic issues such as methylation problems

The core of functional medicine is to look at the whole person, and identify the possible underlying causes of depression or any medical issue in order to treat it accordingly.