Too much dopamine can make you maniac, but deficiency can make you depressed too

Dopamine is the happy hormone that is responsible for mainly emotional and mental health. A deficiency can lead to a range of health disorders.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Published: November 3, 2019 10:38 am

What does dopamine do to your mental health?

Dopamine, also known as the happy hormone, is naturally occurring chemical in the human body. It is also a neurotransmitter that controls movements and emotional responses. It also influences mood, memory, sleep and cognitive ability. Any deficiency can therefore be detrimental for health. It can lead to many disorders including anxiety, depression and Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, this hormone is essential for overall wellbeing.

According to a study at the Medical University of Vienna, serious health problems can arise if there is too little or too much dopamine in your body. If you have a deficiency, it can lead to Parkinson’s disease. On the other hand, if you have too much of this hormone, you may experience mania, hallucinations and schizophrenia.

SYMPTOMS OF DOPAMINE DEFICIENCY

If you have dopamine deficiency, you may experience muscle cramps and spasms as well as stiffness. Aches and pains, co-ordination problem, fatigue, weight gain or loss, disturbed sleep, constipation and digestive issues are a few other common symptoms of dopamine deficiency. You may also experience emotional distress and cognitive problems as well as a low sex drive.

DOPAMINE DEFICIENCY MAY CAUSE PARKINSON’S DISEASE: EXPERTS

Researchers say that ‘dopamine release is responsible for people becoming addicted, in that they are always seeking pleasure, so that they can reach higher and higher dopamine levels. Dopamine is the reason why a lot of people are constantly seeking to satisfy their cravings’.

They further add that ‘excessive dopamine release at the wrong moment can cause insignificant things to take on an unwarranted significance. This can even result in mania, hallucinations or even schizophrenia’. But they were not very clear as to why this excessive release occurs. However, they saw that a lack of dopamine in some areas of the brain may act as a trigger for the Parkinson’s disease.

IT CAN ACT AS AN UPPER AND DOWNER: STUDY

According to researchers at the University of California – Berkeley, ‘dopamine may also reinforce avoidance of painful experiences. They have mapped dopamine neurons in the brain with fibre photometry and discovered two parallel dopamine circuits driving attractive and aversive reinforcement learning and motivation. They have identified two different subtypes of dopamine cells: One population mediates attraction and one mediate aversion, and they are anatomically separated. This is published in the journal Neuron.

HEALTH RISKS OF DOPAMINE DEFICIENCY

A deficiency in this hormone may lead to a number of health disorders. It is usually associated with a host of mental conditions. It may cause acute depression. Some people may experience symptoms of schizophrenia as well as psychosis, with symptoms of hallucinations and delusions. And, as mentioned above, it may also lead to the onset of Parkinson’s disease.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

If your doctor suspects that you are suffering from a dopamine deficiency, he may prescribe omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin D and magnesium supplements. This can boost the levels of this hormone. Some drugs that are used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease can also boost dopamine levels. Other than this, your doctor will recommend counselling, changes in diet and lifestyle as well as physical therapy to provide relief from muscle stiffness and co-ordination problems.

Published : November 3, 2019 10:38 am

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