Depression and Chemical Imbalances: Exploring the Connection

Whether depression is caused by chemical imbalance or whether chemical imbalance causes depression is an ongoing issue. Illness, genes, hormones, medications, environmental factors, temperament and life events can alter brain chemicals and contribute to depression.

History

• The idea of balancing the body's "humors" for good health began in ancient Greece. Now we call "humors" electrolytes or neurotransmitters, but the idea is still the same. When the body's neurotransmitters or electrolytes (fluids with a chemical charge) are out of balance, it does not work as efficiently.

Influence

• A prolonged bout of depression can leave the brain with too much of one chemical and/or not enough of another. Depression can cause other body systems to become depressed and out of balance.

Neurotransmitters

• More than 50 brain chemicals--called neurotransmitters--control signals throughout its neuron (nerve cells) system. These are influenced by different parts of the brain and by glands in the body.

Features

• Although mental or chemical imbalances sometimes do not have obvious physical symptoms, they can be indicators of physical sickness or illnesses in themselves. A person can have a diagnosis of mild to severe depression or have a physical illness like hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland output), in which depression is just one of many symptoms.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Diagnostic techniques include psychology, psychiatry and various forms of therapies, in which professionals observe, test and treat individuals to determine various states of mental fitness or dysfunction. Also known as counseling, therapy uses specific discussion techniques to diagnose and treat mental disorders and issues with a therapist (counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist).

Identification

• Nuclear medicine imaging (imaging that uses radioactive atoms) like positron emission tomography and functional 3-D magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are used to research and diagnose brain dysfunctions. Electroencephalograms (electrodes on the scalp) measure electrical activity in the brain. A quantitative electroencephalogram assigns values to electrical brain activity and aids professionals in diagnosing brain dysfunction.