How is it determined that depression is due to a chemical imbalance when it’s, for the most part, clearly external circumstances that lead to it?

Question

Say, a loved one has passed away, which results in depression…does the chemical imbalance come after the fact, what triggers the imbalance, and why is it blamed for the depression, and not the passing away of the loved one?

In: 0

Answer 1

We don’t know that there is a such a thing as a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. We don’t really know very well how the brain works at all. We know that certain chemicals affect the brain and the behavior and experience of the person taking them, but that doesn’t imply the chemicals are treating an imbalance. A shy person will be more outgoing after drinking alcohol, but that doesn’t mean they suffer from an alcohol shortage in their brain.