6 ms·

The article mentions Serotonin, but is it possible some other chemical is responsible? Coz i can't think of any other reason apart from a biochemical one for s

The article mentions Serotonin, but is it possible some other chemical is responsible? Coz i can't think of any other reason apart from a biochemical one for some types of depression that aren't caused by circumstances.

dariusj18 4y ago
I've always suspected that (sometimes) it doesn't have to be a consistent chemical imbalance, but one that triggers creation of negative feedback loops in the brain.
- onlyrealcuzzo 4y ago
  What powers feedback loops? I imagined chemicals.
  - dariusj18 4y ago
    Pathways that were established when those chemical imbalances were active.
pmoriarty 4y ago
"can't think of any other reason apart from a biochemical one for some types of depression that aren't caused by circumstances." I think that's the point: depression is not independent of circumstances (in the wider sense).
- WalterSear 4y ago
  Strictly speaking, that's exactly what clinical depression is, as opposed to 'distress'.
nicoburns 4y ago
I think this is true, but only the vapid sense that absolutely everything in the body and mind is biochemical (and if you believe that the mind has non-biological aspects then it ceases to be true). It's not necessarily likely that a single chemical is the cause (as is suggested in the serotonin hypothesis).
Induane 4y ago
How our brains respond to circumstances is essentially chemical. Perhaps some peoples brains don't do well without a particular cultural or social context and we ultimately see that at the physical level with the chemical changes that result from it. Maybe the brain is really saying "change the circumstances" and we're interpreting it as "chemical proportions are off and/or chemical receptors are responding differently" and seek to correct the physical component. I know there are people who are chronically depressed but I don't know how to untangle them from the context in which their disease exists. The only way to really know would be to try adapting them to wholly different circumstances and see whether or not the way the brain responded changed as a result.

dariusj18 4y ago

I've always suspected that (sometimes) it doesn't have to be a consistent chemical imbalance, but one that triggers creation of negative feedback loops in the brain.

onlyrealcuzzo 4y ago
What powers feedback loops? I imagined chemicals.
- dariusj18 4y ago
  Pathways that were established when those chemical imbalances were active.

pmoriarty 4y ago

"can't think of any other reason apart from a biochemical one for some types of depression that aren't caused by circumstances." I think that's the point: depression is not independent of circumstances (in the wider sense).

WalterSear 4y ago
Strictly speaking, that's exactly what clinical depression is, as opposed to 'distress'.

nicoburns 4y ago

I think this is true, but only the vapid sense that absolutely everything in the body and mind is biochemical (and if you believe that the mind has non-biological aspects then it ceases to be true). It's not necessarily likely that a single chemical is the cause (as is suggested in the serotonin hypothesis).

Induane 4y ago

How our brains respond to circumstances is essentially chemical. Perhaps some peoples brains don't do well without a particular cultural or social context and we ultimately see that at the physical level with the chemical changes that result from it. Maybe the brain is really saying "change the circumstances" and we're interpreting it as "chemical proportions are off and/or chemical receptors are responding differently" and seek to correct the physical component. I know there are people who are chronically depressed but I don't know how to untangle them from the context in which their disease exists. The only way to really know would be to try adapting them to wholly different circumstances and see whether or not the way the brain responded changed as a result.