Episode Summary
In today’s episode I share my findings on what is going on in my brain when I am feeling depressed. I dug around a few credible sites (and a few not so credible ones) to gain a very basic understanding of a brain cell and exactly what a neurotransmitter is and does. Understanding what I’ve discovered is starting help me see a way forward to help myself.
Episode Show Notes
00:21 – The two questions I have been asking today in my research:
- What is going on in my brain when I am low or depressed?
- What is going on in my brain when I am happy?
00:41 – I wasn’t too surprised that there was far more information about what happens in the brain when depressed than when happy.
01:48 – Why I started my research by looking at neurotransmitters.
02:21 – All the credible sites say that brain chemistry imbalance is too simplistic a cause for depression. However I wanted to know if it was always a symptom?
03:19 – Even though neurochemistry appears to be too simplistic a cause, it appears to be the default route for our health care system to treat.
04:29 – The basic structure of a brain cell.
This episode will explain what is shown in the above diagram.
05:30 – What happens in the synaptic cleft when a signal passes between two neurons.
08:06 – Re-uptake is a word I have also seen associated with types of antidepressants – that phrase has been logged for future checking.
08:32 – The three main types of neurotransmitter associated with depression:
- Serotonin
- Norepinephrine (also know as noradrenaline)
- Dopamine
09:15 – Whilst low levels of serotonin and norepinephrine are associated with low mood in some people, it is not the same for everyone who struggles with depression.
09:56 – Low levels of dopamine may explain why people who are depressed no longer find pleasure in things that used to give them positive feelings.
10:37 – It appears antidepressants contribute to improving the role of neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap.
11:15 – The question going through my mind now is this: “What can I do or take naturally that isn’t a drug that can improve my levels of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
12:12 – Having discovered this information, my next task is to:
- Find out what happens in the brain when I am happy.
- Understand what are the different types of antidepressants?
- Discover what antidepressants do that helps?
Sources Used To Compile The Information Discussed In This Episode
[1] Biology of Depression – Neurotransmitters (www.MentalHelp.net)
[2] WikipediA – Neuron (wikipedia.org)
[3] The Chemistry of Depression (www.verywellmind.com)
[4] What Causes Depression (www.health.harvard.edu)
[5] Biology Notes For A-Level #120 Synapse (blogspot.com)
