I know I say it often, but it warrants repeating: your body is a beautiful and complex machine!
Trillions of specialized cells working together to make up tissues, to compose organs, to collaborate as systems, to support your daily doings… it is a work of art.
But given how complex it is, one symptom could mean a dozen or more different causes.
When you are talking to a friend and they say, “Oh, my stomach hurts,” you do not rush to tell them to have a snack.
They could be in pain for many reasons. Maybe they have just finished a big meal. Maybe they have eaten some bad meat and gotten sick. They might have digestive issues; they might be anxious about an upcoming deadline… or maybe they are just really, really ready to have lunch!
And another wonderful thing about the human body – or really, the human race – is how different we all are from each other. My body and your body are complicated in the same way, but also in ways that are remarkably unique. We might have the same issue, but have completely different symptoms.
We wouldn’t think to offer help without asking for more information. We know that treating something is rarely as simple as seeing a symptom and offering a solution.
Well, these last few weeks, we have been discovering that the brain is more complex than any other organ in the body. It controls everything you are and everything you do – and if its needs are not met, the results will be – what else? – complicated.
If your brain chemistry is abnormal, the result could be one of many kinds of mental illness, with any of many kinds of symptoms, and require one of many kinds of treatments.
For example, you have heard of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. You are familiar with its most well-known symptom, hyperactivity. You might think of someone who has ADHD as easily distractible with a short attention span.
But did you know there are three main types of ADHD? One of these is the combined type – it is the one you think of first, characterized by hyperactivity and lack of attention. But there is another type, impulsive/hyperactive, which shows up without the short attention span – and a third type, which has the hindered attention span without the hyperactivity.
High levels of dopamine are associated with the various types of ADHD, causing sufferers to have difficulty with long-term goal achievement and motivation, and can even cause weight gain due to undue snacking. But these are also hallmark symptoms of depression, making ADHD and depression two of the most commonly switched diagnoses.
What makes it even more complicated is that symptoms of ADHD can contribute to depression. Plus, high levels of dopamine are also associated with other mental health disorders like schizophrenia.
This is what I mean when I say “complicated!” There is no one treatment, or one symptom, for one psychiatric issue. There is no quick fix for brain health.
But do not let that discourage you. There are mental health professionals out there who want to help you. If you are experiencing symptoms, do not stop looking for answers – do not settle for a solution that does not make sense.
You are worth having the full brain function available to you!
Make today your masterpiece!
Florina
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