by Dr Teralyn | Jun 9, 2026 | Behavior, Being Human, medication tapering, medication titration, Psych Medication Tapering, psychiatric medication
Medically reviewed by Dr. Teralyn Sell, PhD Let’s be precise. Treatment is not built on whether something is called “addiction” or “dependence.” It is built on what the drug does during withdrawal. Mechanism of action drives risk. Mechanism drives pacing. Mechanism...
by Dr Teralyn | Jun 2, 2026 | BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, deprescribing medication, Medicine
Medically reviewed by Dr. Teralyn Sell, PhD One of the most common and costly mistakes in mental health is answering the question of withdrawal versus relapse too quickly. Symptoms return, mood shifts, anxiety increases, and the default conclusion is often relapse....
by Dr Teralyn | May 26, 2026 | Anxiety & Depression, Anxiety and Depression, Being Human, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory
Medically reviewed by Dr. Teralyn Sell, PhD Mental health is often reduced to a diagnosis based on a cluster of symptoms. You meet criteria, you receive a label, and treatment follows. This model is efficient, but it is not complete. A research article examining the...
by Dr Teralyn | May 19, 2026 | Body, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, Nutrition
When people start thinking about brain health or mental health, diet often comes up. Two of the most talked-about diets are the Mediterranean diet and the ketogenic (keto) diet. Both are often described as “good for the brain,” but they work in very different ways....
by Dr Teralyn | May 5, 2026 | antidepressants, Anxiety & Depression, Anxiety and Depression, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, Medicine, Nutrition
Many people notice something strange after starting an SSRI. They crave sugar. Bread, pasta, sweets, and snacks suddenly feel harder to resist. Hunger feels different. Cravings feel urgent. This is often blamed on “emotional eating” or lack of discipline, but that...
by Dr Teralyn | Apr 14, 2026 | antidepressants, Anxiety & Depression, Anxiety and Depression, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, Medicine, Nutrition
Mitochondria are tiny parts inside your cells that make energy. Every cell has them, but the brain needs more energy than almost any other part of the body. Thinking, feeling, focusing, remembering, and handling stress all take a lot of power. When mitochondria are...
by Dr Teralyn | Apr 6, 2026 | antidepressants, Anxiety & Depression, Behavior, Being Human, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, Health and Wellness
Traditional therapy often focuses on thoughts, feelings, and behavior. These things matter. But when therapy ignores brain health, it misses a major part of the problem. You cannot talk your way out of a brain that is exhausted, inflamed, under-fueled, or chemically...
by Dr Teralyn | Mar 31, 2026 | antidepressants, Anxiety & Depression, Anxiety and Depression, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, deprescribing medication, Medicine
Antipsychotic medications are increasingly being prescribed for sleep problems. Drugs originally developed for schizophrenia and severe psychosis are now commonly given for insomnia, anxiety at night, or difficulty “shutting the brain off.” This trend should raise...
by Dr Teralyn | Mar 25, 2026 | Anxiety & Depression, Anxiety and Depression, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, Medicine
One of the strangest contradictions in addiction treatment is this: people are told they are born with a broken brain, specifically a dopamine signaling problem, yet there is no clear proof this is true. Even more confusing, when addiction is framed as a dopamine...
by Dr Teralyn | Mar 17, 2026 | antidepressants, Being Human, Body, BRAIN HEALTH, chemical imbalance theory, deprescribing medication, Health and Wellness, medication tapering, medication titration
Both the addiction community and the mental health community rely on the same core idea: that some people are born with a broken brain. This belief is often called the broken brain theory or chemical imbalance theory. It suggests that people develop addiction,...
