by Michele Langlo

Created on: November 11, 2009

Are we becoming endorphin junkies?

We live in the 21st century where we have become workaholics in high-stress jobs because we pursue the possession of big fancy homes and cars as well as a host of other material goods. Our economy is teetering on the brink of collapse. Crime in many cities across the country is on the rise. The political contention in our nation is extraordinary. In the last ten years we have faced the crisis of 9/11, we have been at war since 2003, we have faced the regular flu, bird flu and now H1N1. Due to the shooting in Fort Hood last week thirteen people have now died. Military experts called it the worst mass shooting ever at an American Military base. We have seen the slaughter of between 400 thousand and 500 thousand people in Darfur, nearly 230 thousand lives lost in the Tsunami that accosted eleven countries bordering the Indian Ocean and it goes on and on. So what is the totality of the impact this has upon the human psyche? Was our brain really meant to deal with life in this way?

In 2007 a report from CNN quoted statistics from a study performed through the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), which stated that between the years of 1995 and 2002 (the latest data available at that time) the number of prescriptions written for antidepressants had taken a sharp incline by 48 percent. The report also stated that 25 percent of all adults and 8 percent of adolescents have had a major depressive episode at some point in their lives. Since then a similar study by the CDC in 2006 shows that roughly 13 percent of all people in thirty-five US states as well as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands had been given a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety and roughly 16 percent had been given a lifetime diagnosis of depression. So what are the causes of these disorders?

The list of causes of depression and anxiety disorders could most likely fill volumes but in short they are caused by our emotional reactions to life's stressors. The effects of these reactions can range from extreme lethargy, apathy, mood disorder, loss of appetite and weight gain to fatigue, body aches, insomnia and nervousness. All of these symptoms can have direct and lasting effect on the function of the brain in terms of regulating mood and stability.

A large part of mood and mental stability regulation takes place in the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. These glands produce neurotransmitters such as endorphins and serotonin.

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