how is depression a chemical imbalance

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Depression is widely known as a chemical imbalance. This designation, though, might not be fully correct. To be sure, depression is biological (at least partly). Neurochemical levels and activities are at work in major depressive disorder (MDD). This explains why depression is so often called a chemical imbalance.

The balance of chemicals in the brain is thought to be one influence on depression and anxiety disorders, along with a combination of factors such as: 6 Can Stress Cause a Chemical Imbalance?

Because depression is bigger than an illness caused by unbalanced neurotransmitters and stress hormones, it would make sense for people to stop calling it a chemical imbalance. Not only is doing so inaccurate, but it can be damaging.

Much research has focused on uncovering causes of depression. Depression involves numerous variables and cannot be explained by what is often referred to as a 鈥渃hemical imbalance,鈥?or shortage of a specific neurotransmitter called serotonin. Neurotransmitters transmit signals from one neuron (a type of brain cell) to another.