The Impact of Chemical Changes in The Brain Caused by Chronic Stress Can Trigger Depression

Abstract

The present research has attempted to study the link between chronic stress, the chemical changes in the brain caused by it, and depression. Chronic stress (also known as chronic strain) has been defined in a variety of ways, but it usually refers to one or more types of stress that have persisted for at least many months. Numerous chemical changes occur in the human brain when the human body is subjected to chronic stress over a lengthy period. Chronic or ongoing stress can cause several psychological and physiological problems and stress has been found to influence brain chemicals including cortisol and corticotropin-releasing factor. Cortisol levels that are elevated for an extended period have been related to mood disorders and hippocampus shrinkage in the brain. Stress is a key contributor to chronic inflammation in the body. Furthermore, diabetes and heart disease can also be caused by chronic inflammation. Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels in the blood and has an effect on serotonin levels in the body. This contributes to the fact that continuous stress causes a series of chemical changes in the human brain, which may simply make the individual more prone to developing depression or relapsing (the condition is prone to recur in someone who has recovered). These physiological and biochemical changes make the human body more sensitive to depression and make it more likely to acquire the mental illness (known as Major Depressive Disorder). The current study examined many research studies that support a substantial relationship between chronic stress and depression