The Real Role of Serotonin in the Development of Depression
There are a myriad of factors that increases the chances of an individual to suffer from clinical depression condition. These causative factors may be physical, emotional, or genetically related. Studies have shown that neurotransmitters such as serotonin have significant influence in determining the degree of depression in an individual. In this regard, it is important to review scholarly articles to depict the role of serotonin in the development of depression. Accordingly, the essay seeks to review the literature on scholarly journals to establish the etiology of depression in relation to serotonin neurotransmitter.
Serotonin refers to a chemical messenger derived from tryptophan and passed between nerve cells. Uher & McGuffin (2010) ascertain that the neurotransmitter is involved in sleep, depression, memory and other
processes related to inhibitory activities. Serotonin is found in the platelets, the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract and often is associated with a sense of well-being and happiness. The importance of happiness in alleviating emotional factors that contribute to depression cannot be underestimated. Karg et al. (2011) allude that any hormone that has the capacity to influence the degree of happiness in an individual has a direct influence on the development of depression. Serotonin is a good regulator of moods and has a substantial influence on behavioral and physiological processes which in turn influence the extent of happiness in an individual.
Serotonin has a significant role in influencing the degree of stress and anxiety in an individual. The neurotransmitter mediates inflammation chemically, which ultimately influence the reaction of body parts towards a physical or an emotional distress. According to Dantzer et al. (2011), the physiological actions and the process of secretion of serotonin mediates pain and stress, influencing both nervous and immune system functions via
the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In this perspective, it can be argued that the dysfunction of serotonin receptor is well characterized in mental disturbances such as anxiety and depression, which has a
significance role in the development of depression. Uher & McGuffin (2010) affirm that imbalance in serotonin levels affects the mood swings of an individual, anxiety and postnatal depression. The imbalance is usually
triggered by biochemical glitches such as an absence of receptor sites, low brain cell production of serotonin and shortage in tryptophan.
The activity of regeneration of brain cells, a process that is believed to be mediated by serotonin have a significant influence on the development of depression. According to Dantzer et al. (2011), depression
is prone to occur whenever they are suppression of new brain cells and that stress is the most critical precipitator of depression. The majority of antidepressant medications in the market often termed as selective
serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) are meant to boost serotonin levels. Uher & McGuffin (2010) ascertain acceptable levels of serotonin is vital in kicking off the production of new …
