Posted by linkadge on July 30, 2022, at 8:42:06
In reply to serotonin theory of depression torpedoed, posted by TriedEveryMedication on July 29, 2022, at 23:24:43
This is not really news. Many psychiatrists and researchers have knows this for some time now.
Contrary to popular believe, SSRIs don't just raise serotonin:
- influence stress hormones and other hormones
- affect gene expression via HDAC inhibition
- affect g-proteins
- affect the trk-b receptor (binds to BDNF)
- affect glutamate and gaba neurotransmission
- post the level of P11 protein
- much much moreAlso, just because depression isn't due to low serotonin, doesn't mean that raising serotonin isn't somehow therapeutic. The same can be said for thyroid. Even in bipolar patients with 'normal' thyroid, raising it to supertheraputic levels can alleviate symptoms.
Also, the research does not bear out the possibility that some other aspect of the serotonergic system is dysfunctional. We just don't know at this point.
What really pisses me off, however, are the news articles that are broadcasting "according to recent study, there is no evidence of a chemical imbalance in depression". This is false. There are decades of research showing many biochemical abnormalities in depression. The problem is that there is no 'unified' theory. Not everybody's depression is the same. This of course, makes sense, because we are not dealing with a single gene or environmental background.
Finally, everything eventually becomes chemical. Childhood maltreatment, if it results in a mental illness, ultimately causes a 'chemical imbalance'. Also, virtually all effective treatments (medications or otherwise) can normalize some of the chemical imbalances seen in depression.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:1120172
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20220530/msgs/1120174.html