Depression, which can easily be called as “psychological cold”, is one of the diseases many modern people are suffering from. In general, depression is a condition that interest in daily life is low and a sense of sadness persists. If the symptoms are severe, it can lead to sleep disorders, cognitive decline, and even suicide attempts. Thus, depression which should be regarded as socially serious issue encompasses emotional, intellectual, and physical symptoms. A temporary depression is a normal reaction that anyone can experience, but if it continues in the long term, it is necessary to take prompt action.
Before starting the treatment of depression, the most critical step is to understand where it began rather than the symptoms themselves. The causes of depression are still under study, but a variety of physical, psychological and social problems can be causes of depression. However, there is a constant debate over whether a natural personality itself can be a cause for depression or not. Existing studies can easily prove that innate personal traits are closely correlated with depression. There were three main categories of characteristics which are the most relevant causes of depression such as introverted, perfectionist, and creative personality.
In general, an inborn personality can be divided into two main parts as extroverts and introverts. Extroversion is often explained socially as the energy of the mind is directed outward, whereas introverts usually have a tendency to be solitude and lost in contemplation with the power heading inwards. The skeptics think that introverts who conceal all the stress and conflict inside consider being isolated and depressed; on the other hand, they often spend time focusing on themselves so they can obtain energy and purify their emotions. On the contrary, even though introverts care about themselves and get energy from the inside, they can be suffered from the depression if the range of social exposure is above the norm. To be specific, according to the American Psychiatric Association (2017), people with low self-esteem and introversion tend to fall into a pessimistic stance, which causes the continuation and occurrence of depression.
Obsessive perfectionists, commonly known, always emphasize strict standards not only to themselves but also to others. In particular, they uncommonly feel a sense of happiness, giving themselves many obligations in every situation they encounter in their lives. Some experts believe that healthy perfectionists can continuously try new challenges with their willingness and experience fulfillment through achievements. In reality, these types of perfectionists who can control themselves positively are extremely rare. Perfectionists become easily depressed, unable to tolerate mistakes, repeatedly gripped by skepticism and loss (Kennard, 2018). As self-criticism repeated and the situation continues to fail to meet the high expectations set by them, perfectionists suffer from constant depression with disappointment and anxiety.
Last but not least, people of creative personality who are always constantly observing, contemplating and deducing are also closely related to depression. Most people with inherently outstanding creativity will be engaged in performing arts such as composers, musicians, and painters. Likewise, the people who were given creative personality as gifts have a variety of exceptional talents and pursue a wide range of aims. Eby (2018) found “Biographical studies of earlier generations of artists and writers also show consistently high rates of suicide, depression and manic-depression”. According to psychiatrist Jamison (1996), most extraordinary artists do not experience repeated emotional changes and diseases associated with human emotions do not promote artistic talent either. Creative people, however, naturally tend to be introverted as they force themselves to spend a lot of time alone to develop and maintain their unique talents.
To sum up, introverted tendencies, motivation to be perfect and creative talent always keep people in a state of anxiety, slowly falling into the depression. Through the researches and studies described above, depression can be understood to have a close correlation between innate personalities and tendencies. The personality traits that affect the occurrence of depression vary depending on the different types of depression. In particular, inborn characters play a particularly important role in the development of early, chronic, and repetitive depression among other types of depression (Klein et al., 2011). Depression is a disease that can be entirely cured if the patients have a willingness to be treated themselves. Social efforts, systems, and changes of attitude, therefore, are required to overcome the prejudice against patients and mental illness. In addition, it is crucial to understand what causes depression and the patient’s natural personality before regular treatment. Treatments tailored to individual personality of the patient will enable the fundamental treatment and prevention of depression.