Word: serotonin
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...responsible for the differences. Spelunking in the human genome is not easy, what with 35,000 genes consisting of 3.2 billion chemical bases. To narrow the field, Hamer confined his work to nine specific genes known to play major roles in the production of monoamines--brain chemicals, including serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, that regulate such fundamental functions as mood and motor control. It's monoamines that are carefully manipulated by Prozac and other antidepressants. It's also monoamines that are not so carefully scrambled by ecstasy, LSD, peyote and other mind-altering drugs--some of which have long been used...
Here's why: when it comes to depression, the greatest risk may be doing nothing. Recent studies show that suicide rates among adolescents have fallen by about a third over the past decade in those countries that prescribe serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the class of antidepressant drugs that includes Prozac. And just last month the first large-scale, federally funded study of major depression among adolescents found that the best treatment for depression involved a combination of Prozac and cognitive-behavior therapy that aims to improve coping skills. In fact, says the study's leader, Dr. John March of Duke University...
...antidepressants in question are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and are commonly known by their brand names—Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and others. On the whole, they have reliably shown to be successful in treating depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety. Unfortunately, the very real disturbances of the depressed child or adolescent deprived of these medications have been all but pushed aside amid the discussions of the thickness and placement of the label warnings. A child or adolescent who has been identified as having depression accompanied with a high risk of suicidality will be much more likely to entertain...
Bear in mind too that carbs are linked to the regulation of a key neurotransmitter called serotonin, which, says M.I.T. brain researcher Judith Wurtman, "is essential for feelings of fullness as well as a good mood." And again, complex, not simple, carbs are the best way to maintain an even keel when it comes to both appetite and mood...
...killed her daughter, and that's what she'll tell a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel meeting this week in Bethesda, Md. For years a small but vocal group of patients and doctors have insisted that certain antidepressants, including Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac and other medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), carry an unacceptable risk of antisocial behavior and suicide in kids who take them. Many clinicians and most pharmaceutical companies disagree. Major depression is a dangerous illness that in itself can lead to suicide, and they insist that the benefits of these drugs outweigh the risks...