Chemical Imbalance Symptoms Treatment

A chemical imbalance refers to the availability of neurotransmitters in the brain. There are more than fifty different types of neurotransmitters, each governing a certain set of responses and commands to the body. When the incorrect number of neurotransmitters is available, an imbalance occurs. Symptoms such as anxiety, depression, anger, mood swings, stress and panic attacks are all related to a chemical imbalance of some sort.

The standard treatment has been prescription medications. However, as movement towards non-synthetic, alternative treatment increases, additional therapies are possible for patients suffering symptomatic responses because of a chemical imbalance with an underlying cause.

Understanding Thoughts & Behavior

• The key to treating chemical imbalance and its symptoms is to understand why certain thoughts and behaviors occur. Natural imbalances occur every time our thoughts and reactions trigger a response and we experience an emotion. Our body will rebalance itself when the necessity for the response has run its course.

  Existing deficiencies or unhealthy levels of chemicals can cause a more permanent imbalance resulting in chronic stress, mood swings and even depression that can be triggered by certain thoughts or reactions to your external environment.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• This type of therapy seeks to help a patient explore the connection between his condition and his thought patterns. By understanding that thoughts and reactions create chemical swings to accommodate certain emotions, the patient can learn new thought patterns when faced with stressful or depressive situations. In theory, he can learn to control his own thoughts and reactions to avoid patterns which promote certain behavioral responses.

  This method takes time, and usually doesn't produce instantaneous results. Over time, behavioral responses to certain situations can become hard-wired and ingrained in the psyche. Reversing this usually takes effort and patience, and is usually recommended to those with an underlying cause for the imbalance.

Prescription Medications

• In the instance where a chemical imbalance is caused by a pre-existing deficiency or overabundance, prescription medications are a more suitable choice than CBT. Drugs will help stimulate the production of lacking chemicals to maintain equilibrium and a stable state. When a response occurs, they will also help moderate it and return the chemicals to a balanced state when the response has finished.

  Prescription medications work only about 50 to 60 percent of the time and many carry side effects worse than the actual symptoms. It's also important to note that this method treats only the chemical imbalance itself, and not any underlying behavioral causes that may be present.

Alternative Medicine

• Alternative medicine is gaining popularity as more studies are released proving the efficacy of herbs such as St. John's Wort against depression, anxiety and mood swings. A 2002 study suggested that St. John's Wort affects the availability of serotonin neurotransmitters by working to increase its level. The most common antidepressants do this, and a 2008 study by the researchers at the Centre for Complementary Medicine in Munich concluded that the herb is capable of treating even major depression.

  Depression is associated with low serotonin, and low serotonin results from stress. Under this logic, botanical sedatives aimed at reducing stress or calming the nervous system (nerviness) can be used to help alleviate symptoms of a chemical imbalance. Such herbs include Passion flower, kava kava, catnip, lemon balm, valerian, chamomile and skull cap.