How to Solve a Chemical Imbalance

Since the 1960s it is the common school of thought in psychiatry that mental illnesses are related to brain chemistry. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses have to do with an improper balance of chemicals. Research is casting doubt on that theory. For instance, a recent study published in The Journal of Anxiety Disorders states that many mental illnesses are a result of malfunctioning or overactive lobes of the brain. Despite this, chemical imbalances such as a lack of serotonin play a large part in mental illness, and fixing them can help you feel a lot better.

Instructions

• 1

  Go to a psychiatrist. It's important that you go to a psychiatrist rather than a psychologist. This is because psychiatrists are trained as physicians who specialize in mental illnesses, and are legally allowed to prescribe medications. Psychologists receive a different type of training and are not allowed to. Don't just go to any psychiatrist; be sure to check around, ask your friends, or family for recommendations. Some are better than others, and it's important you have a good one.

• 2

  Describe your symptoms of chemical imbalance in as much detail as possible. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that about 40 percent of mental illnesses are at first misdiagnosed, and the surest way to prevent that is to be as specific as you can with your troubles.

• 3

  Try the pill your psychiatrist prescribed for a while. Chemical imbalances often take a long time to treat. For instance, if can take two full months for Prozac or Zoloft to take effect, if you are being treated for depression. If the pill works, and you are feeling better, that's great. If you have tried it for a few months, and it still doesn't seem to be having much of an effect, talk to your psychiatrist about changing the dose or the pill.

• 4

  Keep trying if things don't go just as you planned. It's fairly common for the first medication you try not to work that well. This may because your psychiatrist gave you a misdiagnosis, or because you simply do not react to the particular medication. If that happens, tell your psychiatrist what is wrong. This way she can alter or change what she is prescribing, and eventually rectify your chemical imbalance.