Chemical changes in Psychiatric Disorders

Psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression etc can be due to one of the following:

• Those due to problems of life like grief, disappointment, abuse or other challenges of life.
• Those due to chemical imbalance in brain.

Category one will also have chemical imbalance in brain but category two can be there without any real bad event or problem in life. Some calls them False Negative Emotions. One can identify such false negative emotions by the simple fact that there are either no causes of these false emotions or these emotions are out of proportion to small day to day problems. Scientists have discovered chemicals in brain called neurotransmitters which are responsible for our emotional health. We need them in dynamic balance.

A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger in the brain that carries signals across brain cells and between other cells in the body. Neurotransmitters are made from protein. Some of the neurotransmitters are – Serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline, endorphin and GABA are neurotransmitters that are essential for a calm, happy mind and a sense of well-being. When neurotransmitters are out of balance in proportion or function they significantly alter our mood and behavior. Some of such disorders are:

• Deficiency of serotonin can lead to irritability, depression, anxiety, panic, aggression, addictions and insomnia;
• Deficiency of dopamine can lead to low feeling, stress, fatigue, depression and low sex drive.
• Deficiency of oxytocin can lead to state of mistrust and lack of attachment with others.
• Deficiency of phenyl ethylamine can lead to lack of ability to feel and give love.
• Deficiency of adrenaline can lead to loss of attention, alertness and concentration.
• Deficiency of GABA can lead to state of lack of peace and anxiety.
• Deficiency of endorphins can lead to state excess feeling of mental and physical pain and stress.

What can alter or derange the neurotransmitters:

• In some cases it is autogenic without any cause.
• Substance abuse like smoking, alcohol, drug addiction.
• Pollution and pesticides
• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• Unnecessary stress
• Medicine abuse

How can we stop or reverse this loop of negative emotions.

There are some prescription medicines that a psychiatrist can give to control these neurotransmitters. They have their own abuse and unwanted side effects. For best management we need to see how we can have our balance naturally. Some of the steps that can help in regaining and maintaining balance are:

• Eat nourishing diet to provide all necessary elements like glucose, proteins, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids etc.
• Exercise regularly to let fresh oxygen reach our brain through better circulation
• Do not do any thing that harms neurotransmitters and do those things that benefits neurotransmitters.
• Live a healthy balanced life.
• Surround yourself with positive people and positive circumstances.
• Think positive and act constructive
• Yoga and meditation
• Natural treatment like acupuncture, homeopathy, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy can bring back balance in neurotransmitters.