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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What chemical imbalances exist in someone with depression?

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    Depression Mental Health
    I always hear about serotonin, dopamine, etc levels being too high or too low in someone with depression. What exactly are the chemical balances that exist? And how come anti-depressants aren't always effective as treatment if they can “help balance” things out?
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    Dr Simon Easterbrook-Smith

    Health Professional

    My research interests include immunology and the mechanisms of amyloid formation. The latter has implications for people who are dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease … View Profile

    Disclaimer; I am a biomedical scientist, not a heath professional.You have asked complex questions which do not have simple answers, mainly because the neurobiology of depression is poorly understood (though this is an on-going research effort in labs all round the world).There is fairly good evidence that the brains of people with depression don't “use” neurotransmitters like serotinin and noradrenaline as well as they should. That is why anti-depressants like the SSRIs and SNRIs are often effective (usually in conjunction with non-pharmaceutical therapeutic approaches).But, because the neurobiology of depression is not well understood, matching the “right” anti-depressant to the “right” person is more an art than a science - that is why it should be done by a psychiatrist or a GP with proven experience of working with clients with mental health issues.For a (fairly technical) summary of the current position on this, see;Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Phillips ML (2012)Major depressive disorder: new clinical, neurobiological, and treatmentperspectives.Lancet 379: 1045-55 (2012).

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    Lenzo78

    HealthShare Member

    Forget the chemicals, doctors and all the thinking.. Happiness is around the corner if you can see opportunities life has in store for you. Make some positive changes, go for a trip, a cruise .. Enjoy life, you are still alive !!

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  • Bruni (Brunhilde) Brewin

    Counsellor, Hypnotherapist

    Bruni Brewin is President Emeritus of The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association (AHA), the oldest and largest National Registration Body for hypnotherapists in Australia founded in 1949, … View Profile

    Hi Maree,  I really don't think that your problem comes totally from lack of oxytocin.

    When you look up oxytocin it shows that…  “It is released in large amounts during labor, and after stimulation of the nipples. It is a facilitator for childbirth and breast-feeding.”

    Brain oxytocin also reduces stress responses, including anxiety and other researches show it can modulate social behaviour. 

    There's still no diagnostic test for depression, such as a blood test or scan, which is able to confirm whether somebody has the illness.  Depression is diagnosed by a set of symptoms.  The symptoms that diagnose depression are valid, and some symptom(s) can come from a sad happening that can produce the same type of symptom that comes from a disease or illness.

    But lets have a look at what you have written….

    You say that you have suffered depression from the age of 16 except for 9 years when life was good.  If you are 54 now, that means you have had depression for 38 yrs less the nine that were good years.  So you have suffered depression for 29 years. 

    When you say that your depression you feel was a reaction to something, I personally feel you are right.  You say; “My depression has always been brought about because other people have treated me negatively, and this has resulted in loneliness and poor self esteem etc etc.”

    I would ask the question, what was upbringing like as a child for you?  Or was everything fine until you went to school - were you bullied for example?

    You say that you had a brain injury - when was that?  How old were you?  Were you 16 or did it happen much later?

    Antidepressants are a short-term solution to help you cope while you get your life back on track.  Depending on some of the answers to the history (background) of your life, you are able to be helped through releasing negative early life events.  To working at setting some goals to make your life happier.

    One of the ways to get oxytocin into your body is by way of Meditation while focussing on others, was one suggestion from a psychology site.  A form of meditation called “metta,” in which one focuses on loving others, releases the oxytocin hormone into your body.

    Another way if you like dogs or cats, is to pat and cuddle them - that releases oxytocin in to your body.

    So already you can decide to join a meditation class, or help at your local animal shelter.  This also gets you to meet other people that like doing the same things.

    When you are feeling blue - get in touch with ‘Beyond Blue’ and talk with someone to help you get over your mood when you feel depressed.  You can call them on 1300 22 4636 day or night.

    I like the words of Audrey Hepburn who said nothing is IMPOSSIBLE, the letters themselves say; I'M POSSIBLE.

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