Mental Health Update

From a look at environmental factors and neurogenesis.

What appears is a classic interaction between physiology and the environment, mediated by biochemical pathways inside the body. For example, stress, induced by environmental factors, leads to an increase in steroids in the blood called glucocorticoids which, in the short term, help the body respond to emergency situation like, for example, if you’re being attacked by a sasquatch or something equally as life-threatening. However, when present in high quantities for longer periods of time, as in chronic stress, they actually become toxic to the brain and neural development ceases. The same principle applies to depression. Many of the antidepressants prescribed for depression work by increasing serotonin levels. However, many patients wait weeks to actually feel the effects of antidepressants, even though serotonin levels rise immediately when they begin taking antidepressants. This lag time is the result of a more complex biochemical chain.

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