Serotonin
and Anxiety
Bethany Jordin - 1/30/2009
-
The Relationship of Serotonin and Anxiety
Serotonin and anxiety have a great impact on one another. To understand the relationship it is a good idea to
explore a little about serotonin and the impact it has on brain chemistry. Once you understand this, it is fairly
easy to see why SSRIs are so widely prescribed for the treatment of anxiety, panic disorders, and depression.
Serotonin works as a neurotransmitter. It happens to be the one that impacts things like mood, libido, energy,
sleep, appetite, and cognitive functions. This means that serotonin has a direct and profound impact on anxiety and
depression as well as the impact they have on you. When the levels of serotonin are not what they should be, your
overall mood, sense of well being, and happiness are affected. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
blocks the reuptake of serotonin which means that there is more serotonin available to do its job in the brain.
Proper serotonin levels does so much more than relieve depression or the symptoms of depression. It also has a
significant impact when it comes to modulating stress levels and anxiety. Since stress and anxiety feed off of each
other and only serve to make matters worse in most situations, SSRIs are the preferred method of treatment for many
physicians treating anxiety. The side effects though make them a hard sell for many of those who are being treated
with SSRIs. There are other methods that can be used in order to fight stress and relieve anxiety that are natural
and have far fewer potential side effects.
Serotonin and anxiety are closely related. At this point in time there is a great deal of debate and many questions
on both sides of the issue, as to whether the concentration of serotonin is the cause of anxiety or a result of
anxiety. The question of whether increasing serotonin supply is an effective treatment for anxiety though is much
simpler to answer. In many cases, enough to be fairly conclusive, it does in fact appear to help in a large
percentage of these cases.
It should be noted that there are ways that you can naturally boost your serotonin levels. You do not need to rely
on pharmaceutical remedies when there are effective treatments available that can be as simple as making changes in
your diet. You should not make active efforts to boost serotonin through diet or herbal remedies if you are taking
prescribed medications that are supposed to do that without the express and explicit guidance and knowledge of your
physician. The results could be potentially fatal interactions with the prescribed medications.
Despite the debate about cause and effect, one thing is widely agreed upon: higher serotonin levels generally
indicate lower instances of stress, anxiety, and depression. If you are struggling with depression but not
interested in the pharmaceutical options available to you, make sure you check out dietary and natural remedies for
increasing serotonin rather than suffering in silence.
About the author:
Bethany Jordin is an Information Technology professional and aspiring writer who was clinically diagnosed with SAD
(Social Anxiety Disorder) in 2007.
Source: http://www.naturalantidepressants.info
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