Symptoms
A chemical imbalance is identified by the presence of too many or not enough chemicals in the brain that regulate mood and mental health symptoms. It can be difficult to determine if mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance or if the disorder is situational. If a person is suffering with symptoms related to a mental health disorder like depression, anxiety or other extreme emotions or behavior, it is possible that he has a chemical imbalance that is causing the symptoms. The presence of mental health symptoms indicates a need for an appropriate diagnostic exam performed by a psychiatrist.
Diagnosis
A patient that is dealing with mental health symptoms will be interviewed by a psychiatrist. The clinical interview will involve a series of questions to determine the patient's mental status and the symptoms he is experiencing. The psychiatrist may wish to interview any family members that are available to get a more complete picture of the mental health condition. The psychiatrist may order blood work to determine a baseline for the patient so that if medications are necessary, they can be regulated and monitored appropriately. Most psychiatrists will make a clinical diagnosis and try medications to treat the symptoms. A psychiatrist will not usually order neurological testing to determine if a chemical imbalance is responsible but will use a trial and error method with the medications to determine if the medications can treat the symptoms. Some psychiatrists may order additional psychological testing to help with the diagnosis.
Treatment
If a chemical imbalance is present, then it is likely that medications will be necessary in order to see an improvement in the mental health condition. The chemicals in the brain like serotonin and dopamine are responsible for mood and can be artificially created to restore the brain to the appropriate functioning levels. Medication used in conjunction with therapy can show improvement in the symptoms. A person suffering with a chemical imbalance may feel like giving up or feel like his condition is hopeless, but with proper treatment he will eventually see an improvement in the symptoms and lead a normal life.
Tags: chemical imbalance, mental health, health symptoms, mental health symptoms, chemicals brain, feel like, health condition