Does depression cause brain damage? Does it make you dumber?


Actually, that's a pretty interesting concept. The brain is a very, very complex organ, and there's so much we don't know or understand about it, however based off images of the brain taken through a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan it shows that a depressed brain is in a way “damaged”. This proves that depression isn't just something you can get over in a week, and isn't just “all in your head”, for lack of better term. (You aren't just making it up)
PET scan:

 As you can see, the depressed brain is literally different, because of the lack of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. The brain is ill in a sense, the lack of green and yellow in the depressed brain showing the difference. Depression isn't made up, it's real, and it's serious; however, though depression is a long painful ride, it can be treated. Antidepressants and SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) can help treat clinical depression and other types of mental disorders, like bipolar or possibly cases of trauma, however it can vary.
Depression doesn't dumb you down, however it makes it harder to think straight. It's harder to make proper choices, hard to think straight, hard to focus, and quite frankly sometimes hard to care. Antidepressants and SSRI's also can have side effects that can cause this, brain fog is quite common. This could be mistaken with ignorance, but in reality it's usually just because of how the brain functions while battling depression.
Mental illnesses are still illnesses, they don't matter any less than physical illnesses and are still dangerous. Though there's lots we don't know about an organ as complex as the brain, we know that if a person who say had depression were to take an antidepressant best fit for them, it'd have a pretty high chance of helping them out. (Again, not always, but they have a pretty good chance at helping
Hope this helped. To those struggling, don't give up. You're stronger than you think. Best regards to all. 

Reference: Zoey Ryan

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