Hormonesare chemical messengers secreted by our endocrine glands.
Almost all of your hormones affect your mood, emotions, and mental health in one way or another.
What Are the Main Hormones?
Photo by Rafa Elias/Getty Images.
Hormones are secreted by a group of endocrine glands found throughout the body.
Heres what to know about some of the hormones that have the most impact on your mental health.
Serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate your mood and behavior.
Its also responsible for memory functioning.
Additionally, dopamine is involved in the rewards system in our brains.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that controls stress in the body.
Thyroid Hormone
Thyroid hormones are secreted by your thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck.
Thyroid hormones influence metabolism, your heart, your lungs, and your muscles.
Too little or too much thyroid hormone can cause symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Hormones guide your growth and development in childhood and adolescence.
In women, they influencemenstruation, and reproduction.Stress in your life impacts levels of hormones like cortisol.
Nina Vasan, MD, psychiatrist
Hormones can have a big impact on your mental health.
Many of the hormonal changes you experience in life affect your emotions and overall mental well-being.
Additionally, thyroid hormone changes can have strong mental health effects, according to Dr. Vasan.
When this is lost, the endocrine glands will drive to restore it.
This is why patients with endocrinological disorders have mental health symptoms, he says.
This may be your primary care provider, your OB-GYN, or a psychiatrist.
Heres what to know.
Medications can help alleviate the effects of hormone imbalance, says Dr. Vason.
Sometimes changes in our hormones can make life challenging and can have strong impacts on our daily functioning.
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