by Holly Berry

Created on: September 15, 2007

Indeed! "Life's problems ARE all in your head" because that's where your brain is. In your brain there are some chemicals called "neuro transmitters". The two that have the most impact on your emotions are Norepinephrine and Serotonin. When these chemicals get out of balance, whether due to stress, a genetic pre-disposition to depression or bi-polar disorder or temporary circumstances, such as the death of a loved one, you can become depressed.

If you have bi-polar disorder, you can also go to the other extreme and go into what is known as a "manic" or sometimes a "hypo-manic" phase. You may not know what to call it, but if you are bi-polar, I'll bet you recognize the symptoms: you've got lots of energy; you want to start new, creative projects, but somehow none of them get finished; you spend more money than you can afford to spend; you may even go so far as to engage in risky behavior involving sexual behavior or drugs. I'm not being judgmental, just reporting what happens to a significant number of folks with bi-polar disorder.

Another factor that Neuro-Psychologists are discovering, with the help of CAT and PET scans, is that every event in your life leaves a "footprint" in your brain. The more important, or traumatic the event, the deeper the footprint. All other events that come after that event have to detour around the traumatic event, if it was big enough.
So, sometimes, people who have experienced traumatic events at prior periods in their life may still be suffering the effect of that trauma in the present. This is what is diagnosed as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. While the experts have known about PTSD for a long time, it was not until recent technological advances that researchers could see the actual changes that trauma had made in the brain. These patients can be helped with therapy.

New medicines to help all patients with brain disorders, not just depression, bi-polar disorder, and PTSD, are being developed. For a List of Clinical Trials you can go to the National Institutes of Mental Health website at www.nimh.nih.gov/ for more information and links to research.

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