We talk a lot about how neurotransmitter imbalances can create a whole host of symptoms in people. The wide array of symptoms makes it difficult for someone unfamiliar with neurotransmitter metabolism to put the pieces together so they can figure out what they need to do in order to feel better. We recently wrote about the link between OCD and trichotillomania as well as the link between trichotillomania, anxiety and depression. Now, new research has also shown that two other neurotransmitter-based disorders – namely depression and binge eating – are also linked.
The study, which appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health, showed that teen girls who are depressed are twice as likely to binge eat or overeat. The converse was also true: teen girls who binge eat or overeat are two times more likely to become depressed than girls who do not show signs of problematic eating.
As with OCD, trichotillomania and anxiety, depression and binge eating are two indications of neurotransmitter imbalance (click here for a complete list of diseases and disorders associated with neurotransmitter imbalance). They work primarily on two different neurotransmitters called serotonin and dopamine, but these two neurotransmitters act to balance one another in the brain. Therefore, an imbalance in one can create an imbalance in the other, leading to multiple symptoms with different effects. However, at the heart of the matter is a neurotransmitter imbalance that needs to be corrected. Correct the cause and you have the solution.
