From Stress to Depression: Bringing Together Cognitive and Biological Science

Abstract

One of the most consistent findings in the depression literature is that stressful life events predict the onset and course of depressive episodes. Cognitive and biological responses to life stressors have both been identified, albeit largely independently, as central to understanding the association between stress and depression. I maintain that the largest advances in the understanding of depression will come from examining the ways that cognitive and biological responses to stressors reciprocally influence one another and, in doing so, contribute to the onset and maintenance of depression. I summarize the cognitive and biological stress responses implicated in depression and then describe the reciprocal ways that they are associated with each other. Finally, I discuss the broader implications of taking this integrated approach and suggest directions and considerations for future research.