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Exposing Psychology, Exalting Christ |
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| Q&A
Question: Dear Bazlers, Tell me about serotonin. Can it really be measured for depression? I had a lady tell me today that it could. Internet, 9/21/06
Answer:
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter
in the brain responsible for regulating mood (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin).
Serotonin, and for that matter
all of the brain's neurotransmitters, cannot be measured in the human brain.
No one knows what levels of serotonin are considered "normal" and
"abnormal." What's more, no medical lab test exists to prove that you have
an imbalance of serotonin. So it makes no sense to take a psychiatric drug
to try to cure an imbalance that cannot be proven to exist with an objective
lab test. In reality your doctor is playing guessing games with drug types
and dosages, and you're the guinea pig.
Bottom line is that our brains
are not to blame for depression. Depression can either be caused by a true
medical condition (e.g. an imbalanced thyroid), lifestyle choices (bad diet,
no exercise, little sleep, high stress, etc.), sin in our lives, or
difficult life circumstances that are a normal part of living in a fallen
world. For the last two, God has proclaimed in His Word that He is wholly
sufficient to help us, through exercising faith in Him (Romans 14:23, 2 Cor.
12:9, 2 Peter 1:3, Col. 2:8, etc.).
You can read a fuller response
on the same subject in a prior newsletter, here:
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0508_Q&A.htm
We hope this helps.
Love in Christ,
Ryan and Lisa Bazler
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