Depression

Is Depression a Chemical Imbalance?

Virginia J. Duffy PhD, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

A "Chemical Imbalance" is a "buzz phrase" frequently used by patients and professionals alike to refer to one theory of the cause of many mental illnesses, including depression. This theory states that an excess or depletion of certain neurochemicals (chemicals in the brain) is at least in part responsible for a variety of mental disorders. Neurotransmitters do exactly what their name implies, they transmit information between brain cells.

The neurochemicals of most interest in mental illness are serotonin, dopamine, and Norepinephrine If neurotransmitters are decreased, information and activity in the brain is believed to slow down. Depletion of serotonin and perhaps the other neurotransmitters are thought to be one of the causes of depression.

If neurotransmitters are excessive, information overload may occur. This overload is thought to be part of what occurs in schizophrenia.

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