What Happens in the Brain When Someone Is Depressed?

Depression involves the brain's delicate chemistry - specifically, it involves chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals assist in transmitting messages between nerve cells in the brain.
Certain neurotransmitters regulate mood. When they are not available in sufficient quantities, the result can be depression.
The brain's response to stressful events, such as any of those described above, may alter the balance of neurotransmitters and result in depression.
Sometimes, a person may experience depression without any particular sad or stressful event that they can point to. People who have a genetic predisposition to depression may be more prone to the imbalance of neurotransmitter activity that is part of depression.
Medications that are used to treat depression work by helping to restore the proper balance of neurotransmitters