Mental health is a crucial component of our well-being. People usually refer to wellness as our physical health, but our mental and emotional health are included too. And dealing with mental illness can be just as complicated as dealing with physical conditions; sometimes, even harder to keep track of improvements.

According to a poll done recently on the Arab population, every three in ten suffer from a mental disorder, while there is an estimated an astonishing 450 million individuals suffering from a mental disorder worldwide. 

Mental health can have a tremendous effect on all aspects of our lives, and often, mental illnesses might have unexpected drivers, such as hormonal imbalances. Understanding the root cause of the disease makes it much easier to treat the issue directly. 

Mental health and stress

Believe it or not, stress is supposedly a very normal and healthy bodily response, if your stress system is not working (for whatever reason), then it's a problem as important as when it's overworking. It might be that in the hectic lifestyle we are living, there are more stressors than ever, so you'd find everyone speaking about how stressed they are. (which is valid!). But, this is not what psychiatrists mean when they mention "stress". Chronic stress is a whole different story. It's recurring and persistent stress that is out of the ordinary healthy level and requires professional help. 

What makes chronic stress tricky is that the stress mechanisms are coded in our brain circuits from the very start of humanity; we can't get rid of it permanently. 

Situations trigger fight or flight responses, which release hormones to prepare the body physically to either "fight" or "flight". This indeed has saved our ancestors' lives in the face of dangers, but it seems to be killing us today. Stress becomes a problem when the stressors (situations or triggers) are not tigers or lions chasing you in a forest but something simple like an Instagram comment, a work deadline, or a family responsibility. The body then reacts physically by releasing the corresponding hormones, and when the triggers are frequent, the hormones accumulate and stay in the bloodstream. Now you have a hormone imbalance problem, which leaves you with a whole lot of physical symptoms that lead to you even more stressed, and welcome to the squad, you become prone to other mental health problems. 

The most prevalent mental illnesses that an ordinary adult suffers from are depression and anxiety disorders. Chronic stress is frequently linked to these disorders. So keep an open eye on the rest of the article to understand how to protect your Psychological Well-Being. 

Psychological Well-Being and Hormones 

Treatment for mental diseases such as depression needs a thorough review of a range of factors, such as pre-existing physical conditions, lifestyle, traumas, other life experiences, family history and genetics, etc. 

Usually, most psychiatrists follow a similar approach of finding the disease's fundamental cause and working on it with medications coupled with appropriate treatments. Assessing hormonal imbalance became a vital step in diagnosing hormone-related depression, as it has become more common in recent years. 

So how does "hormone imbalances" occur? It almost always starts from the endocrine system, which, for easier understanding, you can visualize as a thermostat. It creates balance (or homeostasis) in the overall system by producing hormones to regulate a bunch of actions.

Hormones are the body's chemical messengers. They coordinate and regulate the activities of other organs and direct a few physiological functions, such as metabolism, reproduction, and sleep (shout out to multitaskers out there!). 

Hormonal imbalance occurs when the hormone synthesis is insufficient or excessive, resulting in organ and tissue dysfunction. A healthy body requires hormones that are kept at an exact level to function effectively; otherwise, a number of health problems might arise. For example, you got depression and anxiety, which have symptoms almost identical to those of hormone imbalances. Stress can be caused by these abnormalities.

Stress affects hormones like cortisol, DHEA, thyroid hormones, and melatonin. Fasten your seat belt, we're diving deeper.

Symptoms and signs of a mental health problem 

One out of every four adults will have a mental health problem at some point in their lives, and hormone abnormalities make you even more vulnerable. The following are some common indicators that it's time to get help, (if in doubt book a consultation with one of our wellbene coaches to assist you), 

Symptoms of Depression:

1. Irritability and Anger

2. A sense of emptiness or deep sadness

3. Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness

4. Suicidal thoughts

5. Sleeping problems (oversleeping or insomnia)

6. Chronic fatigue

7. Overeating or Loss of Appetite

8. Gastrointestinal problems

9. Trouble concentrating

Symptoms of Anxiety

1. Breathing difficulties

2. Rapid heart rate

3. Sweating

4. Trembling

5. Incessant worrying

6. Gastrointestinal problems

7. Sleeping problems

8. Restlessness

1)   Cortisol 

One of the pillars of the fight-or-flight response .it's also commonly known as the "stress hormone". It can take 10 articles long to list and explain cortisol imbalances in the body and consequently mental well-being but will keep it short here. The number one effect linked to mental health is that the brain's average levels of crucial neurotransmitters like dopamine (the reward chemical) and serotonin (the happy or feel-good chemical) are hugely disturbed. When this disturbance persists, the brain gets used to the new disturbed level of these neurotransmitters and returning to normal functional levels becomes a challenge in the long run. This is where mental health illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD arises. 

What do you think is important if you're being chased by a lion? You won't worry about catching a cold or having a bowel movement; hence, fatigue, muscle weakness, weight loss, low blood pressure, digestive pain and anxiety are all symptoms of a cortisol deficiency. 

On the other hand, excessive cortisol can result from an adrenal tumour, genetic disorder, and chronic stress from work, exercise, relationships, and life in general. Lifestyle modifications, such as mindfulness and meditation can help to reduce stress and cortisol levels.

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2)   Thyroid hormones 

Thyroid hormone imbalances are quite tricky to handle, because thyroid disorders are get mixed with depression as both have multiple shared symptoms; these include but are not limited to fatigue, weight gain, depressed mood, reduced sexual desire, and trouble concentrating. This starts to make sense when you know that the thyroid gland produces hormones that control metabolism, energy levels, mood, calcium levels, and even brain development. These hormones, notably triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) and the thyroid-stimulating hormone generated by the pituitary gland, are the main things to assess. 

The two conditions overlap so much that one treatment of depression includes using T3, which proved pro be effective in treatment. This is because studies show that inadequate thyroid hormones (also known as hypothyroidism) slow down our organs and systems' metabolic functions, which might cause depression, with symptoms like fatigue, oversleeping, and concentration issues.

Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand is the opposite case, where it's caused by an overactive thyroid gland that is associated with pro-inflammatory signalling throughout the body, nervousness and insomnia. Guess What? Hyperthyroidism has symptoms that are almost identical to bipolar disorder and clinical anxiety! 

3)    DHEA

The hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is mostly produced by the adrenal glands (our good friend mentioned above). Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are all antecedents to this hormone. This hormone production peaks in our twenties and gradually decreases as we age. 

The hormone DHEA could have a huge impact if it goes up or down. Usually, DHEA levels that are abnormally high can reflect a few medical issues such as hyperplasia and adrenal cancer. On the other hand, Low DHEA levels have been linked to depression symptoms, according to a 2007 study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Although more research is needed to understand how or why this happens, at least we know the basics. 

4)   Melatonin

Our good underestimated friend lost in the crowd, melatonin. It's the key hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle (Basically our life if you give it a minute of thought).The  circadian rhythm (sleep wake cycle) is in charge of controlling when we sleep and when we become active. It's a daily rhythm that achieves a balance between working and resting by following a 24-hour internal clock. Melatonin is crucial in this process. 

It is produced by the pineal gland in the brain, which generates the most at night when we sleep and a lower amount in the morning when we have to be up. 

Melatonin Deficiency is a sleep disorder caused by a lack of the hormone melatonin.

Rest is a crucial component of coping with the stress that might lead to mental illness. Sleep is frequently recognized as a potent healer and restorer of physical balance.Melatonin shortage causes insomnia or sleep loss, which impacts body repair and recovery. (it's more serious than you think folks). (copy about a sleep product here)

Now after understanding a little but more, you should understand how vital and influencing hormone imbalances are. Thus, i's necessary to properly check and analyze them each now and then to make sure everything is perfect. It's more crucial to do a hormone test if you have 5 or more persistent symptoms of depression or anxiety for two weeks. The sooner you figure out what's causing your mental stress, the sooner you'll be able to seek help. Actually, why wait? You can directly book your hormones test and our medical staff will come to you. Do you need more clarification about the test results? Our wellness coaches are one message away! 

Stay healthy,

Wellbene, you wellness companion