Some of the text accompanying the article is a little simplistic (Alcohol and Drugs - These are depressants and can increase your risk of developing depression.) Obviously, some illegal drugs are stimulants.
Overall, I would agree that these are factors that can put a person at risk of developing depression. This article seems to be heavily slanted towards things that you can change. I guess that's the idea behind it. I noticed that "unemployment" was included, but things like pervasive poverty, being in an abusive relationship, being a caregiver for a sick parent, spouse, or child weren't included.
If someone is feeling kind of down, yes, sure, these could point out areas that could help to improve their mood if they changed their behaviors.
The danger I see here is for people to turn this article around and say "well, of course you're depressed - you're not eating right/socializing enough, etc."
It can let people feel better, I think. They can think "Oh, that person doesn't have a mental illness - they just need to do a/b/c."
Depression and behaviors are very interwoven in my experience. I do work on several of the behaviors/habits listed in the article, especially sleep and good nutrition, because I find that they contribute to my well-being. When I'm extremely depressed, though, it can become really hard to maintain any kind of healthy habits.
I have a brochure from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) about the
Eight Dimension of Wellness. Many years ago, before I ever starting having a problem with depression, I kept my life pretty much in balance in these areas. Now I need a reminder.
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My aunt posted this on Facebook, and I wanted to know some others thoughts on this. From what I see, a lot of these "lifestyles" are ones that are shown with people who ALREADY have depression. While I think lifestyle may have a hand in depression, I think there are too many other factors that contribute.
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I agree (and have done so at length above.)
I think that these lifestyle issues are risk factors for depression, just like smoking is a risk factor for cardiac disease and lung cancer. They aren't an automatic guarantee that someone is going to become depressed (I personally know people who have several of these bad habits and don't have mental health problems.)
Like I said above, I think this list is fine as long as people don't try to use it as a tool to dismiss the seriousness of depression. And yes, people often develop these habits
after they become depressed, which is too nuanced for lots of non-depressed people to handle.