Serotonin Series - Serotonin and Mental Health
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter connected to a whole range of functions, many of which are connected to our mental health. Such functions include mood regulation, sleep, circadian rhythm, pain perception, immune system, testosterone/oestrogen, impulse control and satiation. If we have low serotonin, or a dysfunctional serotonergic system, we will very likely have low mood, poor sleep, experience pain more intensely, become ill more often, have low sex hormones, poor impulse control and feel hungry more. Low serotonin is also strongly correlated to depression. This is why, so often, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are such a powerful medication against depression. SSRI prevent serotonin from being “sucked” back up by the neuron, as it would with normally functioning neurons, meaning the serotonin is present for longer in those who take SSRIs, increasing its impact.
Besides depression, low serotonin is related to anxiety, impulsive behaviour, cognitive decline and dementia, OCD, obesity, fatigue, IBS and suicidal ideation.
Serotonin is strongly correlated with our perceived status. If we perceive ourselves as of a higher status than those around us, our serotonin levels will likely be increased. Conversely, if we perceive ourselves as of a lower status than those around us, our serotonin levels will be decreased. This is evidenced well in some animals after they have had a dominance fight – those who win have increased serotonin, those who lose have decreased. Those that lose, predictably, display depressive symptoms and won’t initiate another fight, amazingly however, if those animals are given SSRIs their presentation will change and they will initiate a fight again.
Our posture also seems to be impacted by serotonin. Low serotonin is correlated with a submissive posture – rounded shoulders, hunched over, looking down, no eye-contact, closed-off etc. High serotonin is correlated to the opposite posture – upright, shoulders back, head-up, making eye-contact etc.
So, our story of serotonin may be something like this: if we perceive ourselves as low status in whatever context we happen to be, we will physical close-off from others, avoiding any form of conflict, challenge of interaction and, also, have negatively impacted mental health in a range of ways.
We can see in this brief description how important this neurotransmitter is to our mental health. The good news is that serotonin has a dual relationship to the things it impacts. In other words, serotonin impacts our posture, but our posture also impacts our serotonin. Which may make you wonder how the position of walking, hunched over your phone and, therefore, looking down impacts on your serotonin levels and mental health. Most people, except the very few who have genetically inhibited serotonin function, can improve their serotonin levels naturally. In the next two posts we will explore exactly how we can do this.