One view of mood disorders includes the connection between susceptible genes and environmental influence. However, due to the large variance in symptoms, developmental and environmental factors also must be evaluated in the contributing factors to major depression. There is a genetic predisposition in major depression that runs in families. Pathophysiology: Genetic Predisposition and Environmental Influences Each of the dysfunctions below focuses on what are thought to be the causes of major depressive disorder. Mood disorders are still being studied due to the unclear nature of how they occur due to the difficult availability of human brain tissue for neurochemical measurement until patients are post-mortem. It is the most common mood disorder (McCance & Huether, 2014). Further, major depression can be classified as when an emotional state, such as sadness, becomes chronic and uncontrollable. Major depression is classified as a unipolar mood disorder. Sufficient levels are needed for the brain to function properly and decreased levels have been found in patients with depression (McCance & Huether, 2014). Dopamine in the brain regulates reward and motivation which could explain the loss of interest in patients with depression. Dopamine motivates people to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and issues a surge of reinforcing pleasure once they’ve been accomplished (Garcia-Arocena). The locus ceruleus has a group of norepinephrine containing cells implicated in global psychologic processes including attention, vigilance and orientation to stimuli.
It also can help in the response to stressful situations. Norepinephrine in the brain helps regulate alertness, mood, functions in dream sleep, and maintains arousal.
Raphe-Serotonin System normally modulates homeostasis, emotionality, and tolerance to aversive experiences. Serotonin is involved with mood, happiness, anxiety, and sleep induction. They use electrical signals to stimulate messages along the neurons where it affects ion channels and eventually performs a specific mechanism at a site of action (McCance & Huether, 2014). Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that are released and received by synapses of neurons to mediate intracellular communication in the nervous system. There are over 46 neurotransmitters in the brain and many have more than one function. Normal physiology of patient’s mood, perception, emotion and behavior focuses majorly on neurotransmitters in the brain.
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