Depression - biochemistry or pyschology?

What is it that makes me depressed? Is it my brain chemistry or complicated pyschology or both.

When I was at my deepest darkest places I went to counselling, I was also on medication. The counselling was very important and we explored a lot of very profound things linked to my self esteem, poor self identity etc. This was complicated and painful stuff about how coping strategies from the past and emotional damage from bullying had shaped who I had become as an adult, and limited my ability to thrive.

The journey through counselling and rebuilding an alternative view of myself was a healing journey, and the person I am now is due to the release of that time.  To use a Biblical image it felt like the story of Lazarus who was raised from the dead and coming out from the cave tomb was still wrapped in the graveclothes, he had to be unwrapped to be free to move and live.

So does that mean my depression was essentially pyschological? The significance of pyschological treatment suggests this might be the case, yet medication was also important in stabilising my moods enough to go into to those dark places.

Now 3 years from that crisis point I am emotionally pretty stable, yes I live with the wobbles, and insecurities can still creep up on me but generally I can separate the emotions from the reality. The difference between what is and what isn't my personal failure etc.  However I am still on medication, and need to be. Despite the 'renewing of my mind' (more Biblical bits) through addressing my internal or 'self-talk' I still feel the deep pain of the depressive moods when they ebb and flow although I have perspective and life is going fine. Hormonal shifts add to this - the PMT effect.

Actually people around me seem to find this a hard thing to comprehend, that I can be depressed in the sense of the pain but not have the distorted self-image element of it. It does feel odd to me at times too - but this is my experience. So if the pyschology has been addressed and still the pains come and go... support for the biochemistry view?

But life is not black or white, rather it is shades of grey. Depression is the same. As a condition it plays off emotional vulnerabilities - but not all the pyschologically wounded experience depression; it does have a physical element, brian chemistry is affected and medication responds to that - but tablets alone are not enough.

For many years I coped with depression - limted by it but plodding on, assuming that was all life could.
In my crash I suffered depression - no sort of normality made sense and gettiing through a day was the greatest achievement.
These days I live with depression - I still know the shadows and soul aches it brings, but it doesn't define me or limit me.

The Black Dog is part of the family but has matured into a plodding canine who most of the time sleeps in front of the metaphorical fire, no longer the crazy puppy that was everywhere and chewing at all the precious things in life..