Is there such a thing as "location depression?"

[TheRealThing89]

I have heard numerous times of people being depressed because of where they stay even though they have a Job, Partner and what not and things seem fine for them but where they stay seems to depress them. I don't know the scientific term for it but I am just wondering if such a type of depression actually exists or if it's just in the persons head

 

[Caleb8844]

I'm not sure all depression isn't technically "in the person's head"

 

[Liesje]

Like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

 

[cobl04]

That's what happens when you live in Sydney instead of Melbourne

 

[Dfit00]

Is Adelaide really beautiful, cobbler?

I definitely think that location does influence your mood. Living in a place where you don't feel comfortable for a long time can be a huge factor towards depression.

Take Washington State as an example, crappy and cold weather, rain all the time, mountains everywhere, etc. It would very difficult for native from Florida or the Caribbean to move overthere because it's a completely different environment from where that person has lived, thereby the process of adaptation becomes difficult.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Is Adelaide really beautiful, cobbler?

Yes, yes it is.

 

[cobl04]

I've never been. I hear it's constructed entirely out of churches.

 

[INDY500]

The answer to the question is yes but there are likely more factors involved. (separation from other family, lack of friends outside the home, recent emotional loss, etc)
For example, the boredom of a small town may depress one person whereas the anonymity of a metropolitan area may depress another. For sure locations such as prisons and nursing homes have high rates of depression but again other factors surely play a role.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

my mom probably had that when she first moved to pittsburgh yeeeears ago. she'd lived in baltimore her whole life, which is where her parents lived, friends lived, etc. at first she'd look for any excuse to go back to visit on the weekends, but eventually she made friends there (one of whom she's still friends with 30+ years later, despite several moves since then) and moved into a house with lots of great neighbours.

 

[LJT]

It depends, it's perfectly normal to feel down if you have started living in a new place where your social life may not be what it once was and there is a lot of stress in adapting to a new place. It may not be even tied to the place as depression can often be related to past life events and may surface at various different points.

The main thing to remember is that it is normal to feel down or depressed when facing these stresses. If the feelings are or have persisted for a considerable period time say a couple of months (or the emotions experienced are particularly strong causing negative thoughts about yourself) then I would consider speaking to your doc.

 

[The Sad Punk]

I honestly think that anything can contribute to someone's depression, in one way or another. No reason location shouldn't be part of that factor.

 

[Canadiens1131]

I have heard numerous times of people being depressed because of where they stay even though they have a Job, Partner and what not and things seem fine for them but where they stay seems to depress them. I don't know the scientific term for it but I am just wondering if such a type of depression actually exists or if it's just in the persons head

Things like your local community and your commute time are essential to your quality of life.

Since the urban planning tendencies of the 1950s (see people move to the suburbs, build strip malls, raze giant sections of land through cities to build elevated highways), we've changed course in North America.

The 1950s vision of a suburban future has faded, and the idea of living in a city with a small. walkable, vibrant community directly around you has re-emerged in urban planning. NYC (based on great stuff going on in Europe) is doing a lot of great work on this with modern mixed street ideas to incorporate pedestrians, bikers, and cars.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I think it might be more as a result of lack of choice and control. If you can't afford to be where you really want to be and feel stuck.

 

[canedge]

Location definitely determines mood. I have heard that Finland is notorious for depression because of the climate. Ireland is right behind them. The sun does give off vitamin E which gives you energy.

An no, many people with depression just can't snap out of it.