What is a Chemical Imbalance?
October 30, 2008 1:56 am Mental HealthOne of the problems in psychiatry today from my perspective is the use of “buzz phrases” that are stated as facts. A good example is “Chemical Imbalance.” There is the joke referring to the overuse of this phrase about a kid who hits his sister, when his mother asks why, he shrugs his shoulders and says “my serotonin made me do it”. Chemical imbalance is a “buzz phrase” frequently used by patients and professionals alike to refer to one theory of the cause of mental illness. 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. If neurotransmitters are decreased, information and activity in the brain is believed to slow down. This is thought to be one of the causes of depression. If neurotransmitters are excessive, information overload may occur. This overload is thought to be what occurs in schizophrenia. However the phrase chemical imbalance is most often used to describe depression in a way that implies fact, and ignores any other factors underlying the depression. In any individual, it is impossible to say this for sure. Chemical imbalance is only one theory of depression, and is generally considered to be only one factor of many thought to effect mood. The term chemical imbalance is used to explain the use of medication for treatment. We do know that medication can be a lifesaver for some and for others may not be of much help.
The neurochemicals of most interest in mental illness are serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
