I’m sure you’ve heard about mental health issues before. And yes, they affect millions of us every year.  But did you know that over half of us may experience some mental illness at least once during our lifetime?

Mental illness can be depicted as a disease which causes an individual to experience severe disturbances in their moods, thoughts, emotions, behaviours, or ability to function at work or home.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) says "social isolation and loneliness have a detrimental effect on health and well-being". 

Some consider loneliness a primary emotion, on a par with fear and anger. For millions of years, survival relied on being part of a gathering; being isolated from your community was dangerous. 

But now, a fear of loneliness can keep us in a toxic relationships, unfulfilling jobs, or destructive marriages.

The following article looks at some unfamiliar causes of depression. Albeit, there are plenty of examples to choose from in the study literature.

What is depression

Depression is a mood disorder that involves a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is different from the mood fluctuations that people regularly experience as a part of life.