ABSTRACT
Many medications prescribed for non-psychiatric indications are known to cause depression or to be associated with depression. The mechanisms by which they may cause depression include either a direct effect on neuronal processes related to mood, or an indirect effect of interference with other highly relevant metabolic processes. Medications can also ultimately affect quality of life in ways important enough to be a signicant determinant of mood. The use of medication is also a marker for medical conditions or disease processes that may share root causes with depression, such as inammation, nutrient depletion, or environmental toxicity. Thus the conditions that are comorbid with depression and the specic medications that are a predisposing condition, a trigger, or a perpetuating factor for depression are useful clues that can be used to elucidate the origin of the patient’s mood issues.
