Serotonin and Its Affect on Depression
by Jean Morgan
depressioncomfort.com
Posted Apr 27th 2007,
Read 150 times since then. Similar ArticlesSolutions For Depression This article is aimed at helping people who are often in a state of depression. I have had many of periods in my life where I have found it difficult to carry on and where in truth I have wished that my life would just end. Depression affects people in many different ways. From a personal note it affects my sleep patterns and makes the smallest… How to Put an End to Depression Depression can have many, many faces. If you are not aware of your feelings and emotions on a daily basis then it can creep up on you and cause misery in your life when you least expect it. We get sad when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away. Depression, however, could be… Do I Suffer From Depression? How do you feel when the weekend almost draws to a close? And the new week begins on Monday with truck loads of work smiling your way. Popularly called “Monday Blues”, they are just that. Mere blues! Caused by simple emotional reasons. Some days, you just feel drained and out. You feel you’ve lost it. Do you feel so persistently and frequently?… The Common Signs of Teen Depression Teen depression may develop in teenagers who have personal, family, and social problems. It is not true that only adults suffer from this problem. Teens can also have this intense mental and emotional problem plaguing them. For parents and guardians, it is important that you know the tell tale signs that your teenaged child is suffering from… How to Manage and Conquer Depression Millions of people suffer from a depressive illness. They thought that depression is just a normal occurrence in their lives, which will go away after a short while. They just haven’t realized how serious depression can be. Did you know that words related to depression have been searched over 993,000 times on the Internet for May 2005 alone? Much… What is serotonin? It is a chemical that is found in the brain that enhances your mood. But exactly how does it do this? Without getting too technical, this article will try to explain how serotonin works in your brain and why it affects depression.
The brain is made up of cells called neurons. These neurons are actively communicating amongst themselves to regulate all of our body processes. These neurons are joined by axons and dendrites. The axons take messages away from the brain and the dendrites send messages to the brain. The axons and dendrites meet at a place called a synapses. This is a cleft where the messages are sent across to the other side. That is the job of the neurotransmitter. It is the chemical that carries the message.
Serotonin is the chemical that has been known to have the strongest effect on mood. But serotonin is not just found in the brain, it is also found in the gut and in the walls of blood vessels. The interesting thing is that the total amount of serotonin found in the body is only about ten milligrams or roughly the weight of one eyelash.
When there is a lack of serotonin in the brain depression can be the result. But what can cause a lack of serotonin? Periods of extreme stress can cause a serotonin deficiency. A diet lacking in all of the necessary vitamins and minerals can be another cause. Exposure to toxic substances like pesticides and heavy metals can deplete serotonin. Changes in your hormone levels can cause a change in serotonin levels. These and a few other factors can cause low levels of serotonin. The low levels will have an effect on your mood and depression can set in.
You may need to have your blood tested to see if you have a serotonin deficiency. If this is the cause of your depression, talk with your doctor about treatment. He make recommend starting you on an SSRI. This stands for selective serotonin re uptake inhibitor. It acts by inhibiting the re uptake of these neurotransmitters, allowing more to be used throughout the brain.
If you want to try a herbal or natural remedy to treat depression, studies have shown that 5-HTP in very effective in treating the symptoms of depression. This is an amino acid that is an intermediate step between tryptophan and serotonin and it can raise the serotonin levels in your brain. Another natural remedy is St. John's Wort. This herbal supplement has been used for decades to help with depression. Amoryn is a natural remedy which contains St John's Wort, Hyperforin and 5-HTP.
It is also important that you take good care of yourself by eating three healthy meals a day, drink plenty of water and exercise daily. Depression can be a serious disease but it is very treatable. Similar ArticlesLoneliness n Depression “Everybody's going out and having fun I'm just a fool for staying home and having none I can't get over how she set set me free oh lonesome me A bad mistake I'm making by just hanging round I know that I should have some fun and paint the town A lovesick fool is blind and just can't see oh lonesome me Oh lonesome me oh lonesome me…” The lines from… Vitamins for Depression Depression is a disabling condition that is described by unhappy feelings of hopelessness, which can be a result from stressful events, hormonal imbalances, or many other causes. Those people with depression tend to withdraw themselves from the world, get angry easily, and lose the interests once enjoyed doing – exactly changes in mood! Didn’t you… Not Again - It's Time To Get Over Depression Depression is a subjective point of view. It is not reality. It is a created reality and only imagined in the mind. What only seems to be depressing is truly not depressing. The problem is that the person is seeing their life as some kind of victimized event and that is why they are feeling so depressed. Have you ever notice that a depressed… Managing and Conquering Depression We all have fell victim to depression at one point or another. That is part of life. Some people will fall into a depression for a few hours, others may be in that state for days and eventually manage and conquer that depression to finally come back to a state of balance, a state of equilibrium. Some people on the other hand, may fall into a… Understanding Depression It's normal to feel low or down at some point in a persons life. Depression however is a totally different matter , as it is an illness which affects the whole of a person, in other words the mood, thoughts and body. It influences everything from the way a person eats and sleeps to the way that they feel about themselves and think about things.… Nutrition and Depression Depression is a real illness which affects so many people. In fact, many people will, at some stage in their life feel the effects of some form of depression. Depression usually occurs when there is a chemical imbalance in the brain. The imbalance occurs with serotonin — an important neurotransmitter, which helps to transfer messages… Male Migraine and Depression While it's true that my website pertains almost exclusively to house building, there remains a sentiment of human emotion, which lives in all of us that pushes me to accomplish difficult things. I rarely talk about the strong, positive attributes we all need to do extraordinary things, but if I can offer even a small measure of assistance or… Shocking News About Male Depression While much is said about various anxiety and mental disorders, depression is one of the most common. While men are wired differently than women, they can also suffer from the effects of depression while not even recognizing the signs of the illness. This no doubt is due to the need to be well connected and to your emotional side. Depression can… Chronic Depression Approximately 20 percent of depressed Americans, or approximately four million people, experience chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression that has failed to respond to multiple antidepressant treatments. ) that it had deemed its VNS Therapy System approveable as a long-term adjunctive treatment for patients over the age of 18 with… Seven Ways To Deal With Your Depression It has just been announced, after a study by a team from King’s College Hospital, that depression is now the biggest reason for people claiming long-term sickness benefit in the UK, having taken over from musculoskeletal problems such as back problems. The research shows that 176 million working days were lost because of depression in 2003.… Meditation and Depression Everyone knows that meditation is very effective against stress and depression. But hardly anyone practices it. The reason behind this can vary, either you don't know where to start or you can't find time for it. Also there is one misconception that meditation needs lot of time and determination. This article is all about clearing these myths.… Mother, Child and Depression "I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." These are a few words said by Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Mom is the first word uttered by a child, the guardian angel “Mom” is the sole source of love and affection to the child, and the security and warmth of her lap remains there for a long… Anxiety and Depression Feeling anxious is a natural and perfectly normal response to stressful situations or events like a driving test, job interview or medical examination. It is part of the body's fight or flight reflex so helps us to cope with any perceived threat or danger. Some symptoms associated with anxiety include: • Rapid heartbeat • Tightness in the chest •… Anxiety and Depression Many people who engage in various multi-tasking activities tend to exert too much of their brain power and as a result usually exhaust not only their physical strength, but they also tend to over extend their brains to the extent when it obviously needs some good old relaxation time. Busy people sometimes ignore the need to relax and take time off… Facts About Depression One of the most common psychological problems, depression, affects almost everyone in one way or another. Almost everyone either has a family member, friend, or maybe even they suffer from depression themselves. There are around 17 million adults in the United States that suffer from some period of clinical depression. While these people are… The views of the authors are owned by them alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Relagen-Store.com. Articles here are provided for informational purposes only. They are not intended to diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. 
← Articles index | Save to del.icio.us | Add your article
|
