Depression is a significant mental health issue, impacting approximately 21 million Americans, which is about 8.4 percent of the U.S. population. Medications commonly prescribed for unrelated conditions can potentially increase the risk of developing depression as a side effect. Dr. Timothy B. Sullivan, chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in New York, told The Epoch Times that various mechanisms have been suggested to explain this problem. “But the range of medications involved, and their disparate mechanisms of action, suggests that it is unlikely that we will identify a specific cause,” he added.
People taking benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, blood pressure medication, and certain antibiotics are at a particularly high risk. Research has shown that most of these drugs work  by affecting the balance of chemicals in the brain as well as the production and regulation of neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation….