About Chemical Imbalances in the Brain

The human brain uses chemicals (neurotransmitters) to send messages between neurons. Sometimes, these chemicals can become imbalanced, and this is thought to cause various problems, such as mental disorders.

Mental Disorders

• Chemical imbalances are thought to sometimes be responsible for mental disorders such as depression, various anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Types

• Chemicals that are often treated in imbalances include dopamine, serotonin, GABA, norepinephrine and acetylcholine.

Medications

• Various psychiatric medications work to correct chemical imbalances by either increasing (agonists) or decreasing (antagonists) the amount of a certain chemical or combination of chemicals in the brain.

Zoloft Example

• Zoloft, an antagonist, belongs to a classification of medications called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), which work by inhibiting the effect of serotonin in the brain.

Other Types

• Other common imbalances include: high levels of cortisol (stress hormone); low levels of magnesium, zinc or sodium; a deficiency of amino acids, and not enough vitamins, such as C, B12, B6, and B9.

Causes

• What exactly causes various chemical imbalances in the brain is not known, and more research is needed.