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> Research on animals show that chronic stress causes depression... Source? That sounds like an oversimplification in my opinion, as there are some pretty gla

• cpncrunch 10y ago
  See for example: http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v33/n1/abs/1301574a.html http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v33/n1/abs/1301574a.html >there are some pretty glaring problems with using other animals to model mental illness in humans Yes, but the research also looks into stress and depression in human subjects (see above).
  • eivarv 10y ago
    The paper you linked to doesn't really show that "chronic stress causes depression", though. The key sentence in the abstract, I think, is this: Here we provide an overview of the evidence that chronic stress, which can precipitate or exacerbate depression, disrupts neuroplasticity, while antidepressant treatment produces opposing effects and can enhance neuroplasticity. The paper states that stress "contribute[s] to the development of major depression in susceptible individuals", as is well known. It also states that chronic stress correlates with features that are associated with major depressive disorder. Notice there not being any mention of a causal relationship here.
    • cpncrunch 10y ago
      Agreed. I should have said chronic stress can cause depression.
      • eivarv 10y ago
        "Chronic stress can trigger the onset of depression in those predisposed", I would say.