Chemical Imbalance and Depression

By: Justin Hall

Depression and chemical imbalance are often seen as going together like milk and cookies. There's just no way to have one without the other. It's a persistent, repetitive belief by so many ranging from doctors to textbooks and even advertised on TV, print and social media. However, this perception is not always reality.

The term "chemical imbalance" is thrown around so often that it becomes blurred. It ultimately serves as such as a bland interpretation to a much bigger problem without any clear explanation. Ultimately, despite decades of enormous, detailed research, there is still no real comprehension on the concept of depression. When looking into why, certain manifestations are abandoned and others are exaggerated.

Even if some calculations were exact, the illness of depression has a plethora of complications that are so intricate such as tiny particles in the mind. These particles are combined with other factors such as genetics, environment, personality conflicts and other contributing conditions that generate the disorder. 

Joshua Herrington, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University points out the complexities of studying the correlation between chemical imbalance and depression using all of the aforementioned factors.

"Depression is a complex and dynamic pattern involving at the very least a brain within a body, within an environment," said Dr. Herrington. "Classic models of typical and atypical behavior have relied on a concept called reductionism, where the whole can be explained by the sum of its parts."

Dr. Herrington also states that while there has been significant progress, doctors and psychiatrists still cannot quite get down to the root of what ultimately causes the link between the depression and imbalances.

"We have come a long way in recent years, and our understanding of mental illnesses like depression is that they are dynamic, complex and have no root cause, thus making reductionistic attempts to determine causality and treatment ineffective."

Serotonin is a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout the human body. It is also a key factor in body functions such as moods in people. It also plays a role in other purposes such as eating, sleeping and even healing when we've been physically hurt.

Dopamine is another similar chemical which is described as a "feel-good" hormone that gives human beings a sense of pleasure. Dopamine gives us the necessary motivation of doing something when we feel pleasure. 

Dr. Ryan Couillou, another assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University believes that when there is little to none of serotonin, it can play a tremendous factor in contributing to depression. 

"Low serotonin is implicated in depression," said Dr. Couillou. "There is involvement of other neurotransmitters in regulating mood such as dopamine, but this relationship is more related to manic episodes or with psychotic features." 

Neurons are a concentrated cell that transmits nerve impulses. They are the basic units of the brain's information system. They consist of a cell body, dendrites and axons. Neurons are also responsible for sending and receiving transmitters like serotonin. 

There are a series of neurotransmitters that play a role in our moods. Specifically, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.  These are linked to various emotions. Serotonin is linked to emotions such as happiness and depression. Dopamine is linked to emotions such as attention-seeking behavior as well as a reward system processing. Norepinephrine triggers anxiety, fear and anger. 

To treat the varying emotions and keeping them in check are antidepressants known as SSRIs. These drugs are commonly prescribed and ease symptoms of moderate to severe depression. They are also relatively safe and cause fewer side effects than any competition. SSRIs help by increasing the level of serotonin in our brains producing happiness. SSRIs are also useful in treating anxiety disorders. 

SNRIs are similar medications that also play roles in treating depression as well as anxiety and even nerve pain. However, SNRIs also can also postpone serotonin and norepinephrine from engulfing in the brain. Making sure these two neurotransmitters are crucial in elevating moods and finding release from depression.

However, despite the psychopharmacological advancements that have been made to determine what is best for people in treating depression, other professionals strongly encourage and recommend alternatives such as psychotherapy before finally settling on medication to relieve them.

Dr. Lindsey Stone, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University encourages this philosophy.

"Always try psychotherapy first because the treatment is just as high as the meds," said Dr. Stone. "You're likely to maintain your gains versus those who go off their meds and like to relapse and become depressed again." 

Other myths that relate to these neurotransmitters and depression is that depressed people didn't create enough serotonin which is false. A current study shows that it is a lack of sensitivity with neuron receptors.