They found no convincing evidence that lower levels of serotonin caused or were even associated with depression. People with depression didn't reliably seem to have less serotonin activity than people without the disorder.
However, researchers believe that an imbalance of these neurotransmitters is a major factor in the development of depression. A dopamine imbalance can cause depression symptoms, such as apathy and feelings of hopelessness, while a serotonin imbalance can affect the processing of emotions.
Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
There's no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.
People with clinical depression often have increased levels of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), an enzyme that breaks down key neurotransmitters, resulting in very low levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
Some inherited genetic disorders may affect the body's ability to make or metabolize serotonin. Lifestyle and other factors that may also play a role include: Hormonal shifts, such as due to beginning or stopping hormone replacement therapy, menopause, pregnancy, or advancing age. Lack of sunlight.
Serotonin not involved in depression
Similarly, the researchers behind it found no differences in serotonin receptors or transporters in the brains of people with depression compared to brains of people without depression.
The symptoms of depression, whether related to serotonin or dopamine, are very similar. But there are a few distinctions. Dopamine-related depression is characterized by lethargy and apathy, while serotonin-related depression is usually accompanied by feelings of anxiety.
Certain drugs and substances such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, NutraSweet, antidepressants, and some cholesterol-lowering medications deplete serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels.
Low levels of serotonin can also cause mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Serotonin plays several roles in your body, including influencing learning, memory, happiness as well as regulating body temperature, sleep, sexual behavior and hunger. Lack of enough serotonin is thought to play a role in depression, anxiety, mania and other health conditions.
While it is true that low levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin or norepinephrine can play a role in depression for some people, this is only one piece of a much larger puzzle. In fact, the chemical imbalance theory has not been proven as the main cause of depression in over 50 years of research.
Anxiety can have a host of different causes. But no matter the cause, anxiety changes the chemistry of your brain. One of the issues that many people with anxiety have in common is that they tend to suffer from low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Some people have a genetic predisposition to this.
The serotonin test measures the level of serotonin in the blood. Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe.
The brain is a highly adaptable organ, and most individuals can expect their brain chemistry to return to its normal state over time after stopping antidepressants.
Effects of Overthinking on Mental Health
Some of these are: Chemical Imbalance in the Brain: Overthinking leads to create an imbalance in neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, etc. that can harm the brain's memory and feeling systems.
Blood levels of serotonin are measurable -- and have been shown to be lower in people who suffer from depression - but researchers don't know if blood levels reflect the brain's level of serotonin.
Analysis: Depression is probably not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain – new study.
There is no cure for depression, but many different treatments are available to manage the symptoms. The symptoms of depression vary among individuals. A treatment plan that includes medical interventions, support, and lifestyle changes can enable a person to live a normal and full life with the condition.
Serotonin Deficiency Causes
According to Harvard researcher Datis Kharrazian, PhD, DHSc, author of Why Isn't My Brain Working?, the long-term use of SSRIs, blood sugar imbalances, adrenal fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and birth control pills can be underlying causes of serotonin deficiency.