When cells in this part of the body begin to malfunction, or die, (a process known as neurodegenaration) then the disease that is said to have afflicted your grandfather is said to have set in.

Recent Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies have shown clear evidence of anatomical changes in the brains of people diagnosed with depression as well as those with schizophrenia.

Of equal significance is the recent finding that depression is now associated with inflammatory process, meaning that in future, depression could turn out to be an inflammatory disease much like arthritis!

Of equal significance is the link between heart disease and depression.

The lesson for today shows the field of mental health is changing rapidly and seems to be moving in the direction of mental disorders having causes that we might find in the course of time, much as we now know what causes Parkinson’s disease.