Psychiatry – The Science of Mental Health and The Brain

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental illness is experienced by one out of every two people. Yet, people aren’t aware of the science of mental health and the brain. Living with a mental illness is a matter of an individual’s ability or decision to do such.

Hence, BetterHelp does not neglect the factors that affect your mental health, including biochemistry, current difficulties, societal pressure, and trauma.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), scientists claim the development of most mental disorders is caused due to the imbalance of chemicals within the brain or neurochemicals. These neurochemicals can be defined as the chemical messengers carrying, boosting, and balancing the signals between nerve cells, neurons, and other body cells.

They can also affect a wide variety of both physical and psychological purposes. Your brain cannot communicate with the body effectively when an imbalance in these neurochemicals occurs, thereby inhibiting a safe response to various stimuli. Some of the neurochemicals can be hazardous if processed incorrectly and may be related to various mental illnesses.

• Adrenaline/Epinephrine

Adrenaline is a hormone that helps control muscle contraction, heart rate, and blood pressure. It also triggers the body’s stress response, and too much of this hormone can lead to chronic stress, dizziness, difficulty in concentrating, and fatigue, along with other anxiety attacks.

• Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate the brain’s reward centers and enables us to see them while taking action to move. It also assists in improving our emotional responses to the stimuli. When this neurotransmitter level goes too low, it can be because of addictive behaviors such as drug or alcohol use, depression, compulsions, cravings, loss of motor direction, and so on. Attention disorders, extreme mood swings, autism, and psychosis are commonly associated with schizophrenia.

• Norepinephrine

This hormone mobilizes the brain and body for all activities by affecting blood flow, regulating heart rate, increasing alertness, and speeding up reaction time. When this hormone level goes too low, it may also lead to a lack of energy or focus associated with attention disorders and depression. However, if the level goes high, it can cause anxiety, hyperactivity, and stress.

• Serotonin

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps improve mood and social behavior, appetite, and digestion. Fluctuating hormones, high stress, and insufficient nutrients arise when the level of serotonin goes low. Anxiety, depression, obsessive actions and thoughts, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are severe issues caused due to high levels of this hormone.

Developing a meditation practice can increase your quality of life, and it is a common practice to meditate these days to take care of your mental health. People who have stressful jobs and meditate find their lives to be calmer and more flexible.

It benefits many different types of individuals, and BetterHelp can help identify the best therapy sessions for every unique person. You can easily benefit from them right from your home.