{"id":289,"date":"2015-06-21T18:03:13","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T18:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/?page_id=289"},"modified":"2019-02-01T23:51:53","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T23:51:53","slug":"what-chemical-causes-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/what-chemical-causes-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Cause of Anxiety a Chemical Imbalance?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Speed Sense for AdSense WordPress Plugin: https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/speed-sense\/ -->\n<div id=\"ssp0\" style=\"float:left;margin:10px 10px 10px 0;max-width:970px;width:100%;\">\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" id=\"adsgoogle0\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 100%; height: 250px\"  data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5877597362749779\" data-ad-slot=\"2816458245\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AW-Form-341207382\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">(function(d, s, id) {\n    var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n    if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n    js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n    js.src = \"\/\/forms.aweber.com\/form\/82\/341207382.js\";\n    fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, \"script\", \"aweber-wjs-c0ty2hg9p\"));\n<\/script><br \/>\n<strong>Question:<\/strong> \u201c<em>Is there such a thing as a &#8220;chemical imbalance&#8221; causing anxiety? The term may not be right but I wanted to know if there is something that went wrong in our brains; something misfiring? Or did we all sort of &#8220;think&#8221; ourselves into these irrational responses to perceived threats of danger?\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HlE-wm_97Lo\" width=\"660\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Response:<\/p>\n<p>Many people have submitted questions asking whether the cause of anxiety is a chemical imbalance. Others suggest it is not a chemical per say, but a chemical imbalance that is the cause of anxiety.\u00a0 Well let&#8217;s look at a couple of scenarios.<\/p>\n<p>If you go to your family doctor, he\/she will likely state that the cause of anxiety is a chemical imbalance. Medical doctors use a biological model to explain what is going on.<\/p>\n<p>If you talk to psychologists they will likely recommend treatment with psychotherapy (talk therapy). Properly trained psychologists are familiar with psychopharmacology and the biological basis of behaviour although may not frame your anxiety in terms of a chemical imbalance only.\u00a0 They will often employ evidenced based practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, among other things, to help with your anxiety.<\/p>\n<p><em>To put things into perspective, I want to discuss some information a\\below about whether the cause of anxiety is a chemical imbalance.<br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\nThe common antidepressants for anxiety and panic attacks and depression, SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are said to work by maintaining\/boosting or serotonin levels or otherwise influencing serotonin.<\/p>\n<p><em>According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.com\/health\/ssris\/MH00066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mayoclinic website<\/a>:<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>SSRIs block the reabsorption (reuptake) of the neurotransmitter serotonin (ser-oh-TOE-nin) in the brain. Changing the balance of serotonin seems to help brain cells send and receive chemical messages, which in turn boosts mood. SSRIs are called selective because they seem to primarily affect serotonin, not other neurotransmitters.<\/p>\n<p>Some psychiatrists, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UfV0FBMm9Y8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Colin Ross, M.D. indicate that SSRI medications are virtually no different from a placebo effect, although they are better than no treatment at all.<\/a> There is an interesting video online which discusses the findings of studies that support these findings in detail (below).<\/p>\n<p>The placebo effect happens when someone takes a medication and his\/her condition improves although not because the medication is working exactly as it is supposed to do but because for some reason it makes us feel better.\u00a0 At times sugar pills were prescribed by doctors when they would see patients they determined to be hypochondriacs (now referred to as a psychosomatic disorder).\u00a0 Often patients would improve from taking the pills, even though they contained nothing but sugar.\u00a0 This is no longer ethical but Dr. Ross indicates that patients can improve from the suggestion that improvement might result from the placebo.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly studies have shown that psychotherapy (particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) can more effective than SSRI medications in combating anxiety and panic disorder.\u00a0 Dr. Henry Westra, from York University in Toronto, Ontario, and Dr. Sherry Stewart from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia did a comprehensive review of literature and found that CBT is the definite best for anxiety and more effective than other forms of psychotherapy and even appears more effective than medications!<\/p>\n<p>Brain imaging studies have revealed that brain activity can be changed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).\u00a0 (Goldapple et al., 2004) examined changes associated with CBT by looking at cortical and and limbic regions of the brain (areas related to various function one which is emotion).\u00a0 They concluded that \u201cCBT seems to affect clinical recovery by modulating the functioning of specific sites in limbic and cortical regions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bottom Line:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The message here is not to stop taking medication, but consider the inclusion of CBT if you are not doing so.\u00a0 In other words, look at things from both a <a href=\"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/common-medications-for-anxiety\/\">biological<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-anxiety\/\">psychotherapeutic<\/a> approach.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9ELSB1y4Kjo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You can click here for an intro to CBT<\/a>.\u00a0 But before doing so, don&#8217;t forget to sign up for my <a href=\"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/newsletter\/\">newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"AW-Form-341207382\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">(function(d, s, id) {\n    var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n    if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n    js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n    js.src = \"\/\/forms.aweber.com\/form\/82\/341207382.js\";\n    fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, \"script\", \"aweber-wjs-c0ty2hg9p\"));\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">References (What Chemical Causes Anxiety?)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Mayoclinic. Depression (major depression). Retrieved on January 16, 2013, from:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.com\/health\/ssris\/MH00066\">http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.com\/health\/ssris\/MH00066<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Goldapple K, Segal Z, Garson C, et al. Modulation of Cortical-Limbic Pathways in Major Depression: Treatment-Specific Effects of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004;61(1):34-41. doi:10.1001\/archpsyc.61.1.34.<br \/>\nRetrievable from:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/archpsyc.jamanetwork.com\/article.aspx?articleid=481941#qundefined\">http:\/\/archpsyc.jamanetwork.com\/article.aspx?articleid=481941#qundefined<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Psychetruth. (2012, November 26). Do Antidepressants Cure Depression? Are Psych Drugs Safe? Dr. Colin Ross &amp; Corrina Psychetruth. [Video file]. <a href=\"http:\/\/m.youtube.com\/watch?feature=mhee&amp;v=UfV0FBMm9Y8\">http:\/\/m.youtube.com\/watch?feature=mhee&amp;v=UfV0FBMm9Y8<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Stewart S. &amp; Westra H. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Pharmacotherapy: Complimentary or Contradictory Approaches to the Treatment of Anxiety?. Clinical Psychology Review 18, no. 3 (1998): 307-340.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UfV0FBMm9Y8\">http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UfV0FBMm9Y8<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/apis.google.com\/js\/platform.js\"><\/script>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channelid=\"UCJfm1Oh6tZl2clckmX3pQ7w\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"hidden\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n<script id=\"godaddy-security-s\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.sucuri.net\/badge\/badge.js\" data-s=\"221\" data-i=\"cfb2b3c6bbd25e7a29b59a6904ea23c6336163afd4\" data-p=\"o\" data-c=\"d\" data-t=\"g\"><\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Question: \u201cIs there such a thing as a &#8220;chemical imbalance&#8221; causing anxiety? The term may not be right but I wanted to know if there is something that went wrong in our brains; something misfiring? Or did we all sort of &#8220;think&#8221; ourselves into these irrational responses to perceived threats of danger?\u201d Response: Many people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-289","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1878,"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/289\/revisions\/1878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panicattackrecovery.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}