Depression awareness is skyrocketing due to the recent suicides of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain. The headlines have been full of tips for recognizing signs of depression in others. But what causes those feelings? If someone in your family has depression, that may increase your risk of having it, too. MNN reports that researchers have also found differences in the brains of depressed people. The hippocampus, which controls memory, is smaller in some depressed people.