3 ms·
While I agree that the term should be on the list (as it is a catch-all term unlikely to describe a given phenomenon), it is not that "chemical imbalance" does
by stared 4y ago
While I agree that the term should be on the list (as it is a catch-all term unlikely to describe a given phenomenon), it is not that "chemical imbalance" does not exist.
For example, dopamine-related drugs relatively consistently lower ADHD symptoms.
A given example that serotonin-reducing drugs can alleviate depression hardly makes the point.
One common (and false) belief is that "depression is caused by low serotonin". It is certainly way more complicated than that; otherwise, SSRIs would be as effective for depression as dopamine-increasing drugs work for ADHD.
- xmddmx 4y agoCounterpoint: there are four families of Dopamine receptors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_receptor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_receptor and 7 families of Serotonin receptors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-HT_receptor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-HT_receptor and many of them have orthogonal effects. When I teach abnormal psychology, I like to ask my students "If Prozac is an SSRI, it increases Serotonin receptor activity. However, LSD is a Sertonin agonist, so it also increases Serotonin receptor activity. Why therefore do Prozac and LSD not give the same experience?"