In our fourth lecture in Psychology, we learned that everything psychological is simultaneously biological through beginning to understand the complex function of the nervous system. More specifically, we learned about the information system built from billions of interconnected cells called neurons. A neuron is the basic working unit of the brain; it is a cell that transmits information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. Neurotransmitters can often be referred to as “chemical-messengers”. They are molecules that transmit information between neurons, or from neurons to other parts of the body. You may have heard that depression is the result of a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression” (“What Causes Depression” 2019). My grandmother has suffered from depression for many years now. In 2018, she was hospitalized for her depression for several months in a rehabilitation center in Altoona. This was an extremely hard time for my family. My grandmother has been forever changed by her depression. She went from a being an energetic and loving individual, to becoming inverted and distant. She barely talks anymore. I hope and pray that with time and treatment she will be back to herself again. A reason for my grandmother’s severe depression could be attributed to how her nerve cells communicate with each other. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Brain cells usually produce levels of neurotransmitters that keep senses, learning, movements, and moods perking along” (“What Causes Depression” 2019). To further explain, in some people who are severely depressed like my grandmother, the complex systems that accomplish this malfunction. Receptors can be both over and under-sensitive to a specific neurotransmitter. One of the big neurotransmitters believed to influence depression is serotonin. My grandmother takes medication that functions to help her low serotonin levels reuptake. I hope with more research, my grandmother can find a medication that works for her.
MLA Citation
“What Causes Depression?” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School , 24 June 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression.