People's (lack of) knowledge of routine neurochemistry

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Does anyone find it funny how influential neurochemistry must be in the daily decisions and actions people commit to, and yet it's practically a blackbox, if not outright unknown for most people? I'd say it's not even obscure information... since it's so relevant every single second. How superclusters, neighbouring galaxies work may be obscure, but at least it doesn't affect people's very personalities practically all the time. How many people know of dopamine, even though it's one of the simplest neurotransmitters? (I admit I have a harder time understanding how serotonin functions.)

Point is... how many on this forum do actually know a bit about this? I'm supposing it might help you in whichever ailment you're afflicted with, and even if it doesn't on a practical level... well, at least symptoms wouldn't seemingly arise out of nowhere.

I know of it, but it worries me a bit.
Everything I feel/do/like/hate is down to chemicals in my brain and could be manipulated by drugs.

I have an undergrad's understanding of neuroanatomy, and general physiology, but only a vague idea of neurochemistry. I have wanted to educate myself more about neurochemistry since becoming bipolar, but ironically I lack the concentration required due to the cognitive problems associated with the bipolar.

yes, I definitelly know too little- probably cuz I turned to the other neuro side...but now taking courses in this area...but Im not worried about anything, just because don't agree with M.Schwartz theroy 'Im not my brain' if IM not my brain-well then hell I aint my nostrils...if u know what I mean..

My understanding of dopamine is it effects your ability to want to seek out challenges and rewards. Obviously, the lower the dopamine level, the less likely you try and seek out challenges or rewards.

Serotonin also affects happiness like dopamine does. Except, serotonin is more likely to affect mood swings and the ability to seek pleasurable experiences. That's just my understanding of it.

Oxytocin- affects the ability to form a close bond with someone else (ie. desire for cuddling, touching and feeling). Women usually have higher levels than men do.

Testosterone- Increase in masculinity and male sex drive.

Estrogen- Increase in effeminate behaviour, increase in sex drive for women.

I have some knowledge of how the brain works and neurotransmitters in general. I know about Serotonin, Dopamine, noradrenaline, but mainly because of all the anti-depressants I've read about.

What worries me is that drugs are prescribed which interfere with the processes in the brain that control these chemicals and modern science doesn't even know for sure that they play a part in things like depression.

I wonder if my serotonin levels become low from time to time, but I also wonder if my dopamine levels can be high some times, because I can get very hyped up over certain things and seek challenges and rewards. Other times I lack motivation and don't do much that is rewarding.

I also know about synapses, dendrites, axons etc because I studied Artificial Neural Networks in Uni and we had to do some basic study of the brain.

But yeah, I reckon most people have no idea about these things.

Well yes, people really have no idea about anything, if you consider how much learning there is to do vs how much we collectively already know.

I'm just glad there is some treatment which seems to work most of the time. Without these drugs I would probably be dead and in fact I am recovering. Before taking medication I used to worry that the meds would destroy my sensitive nervous system, but in fact the illness did an awful lot of damage. I have had some horrible side effects along the way and some permanent damage too but the damage is much less than the benefits. They have allowed my brain to heal, in conjunction with some good therapy that also affects the brain directly.

It worries me that people are too cautious about medications, an attitude which prevents many people from seeking help that they so desperately need. Obviously it's important to continuously improve the medications and try and prevent any damage by learning to understand neurochemistry -but I'm not going to wait my whole bipolar life or commit suicide while waiting for the perfect drug.

I am glad you responded well to medication. However I did not. Antidepressants and anti psychotics made me much worse. I realized quickly I was better off without them.

Good for you that you realized it, I speak in a general sense, and do not advocate for mass medication of the conditions without seriously considering the individual's circumstances and response.
I would not say that intially I did respond well to medication. A general practitioner gave me some antidepressants, which intensified the manic/psychotic/depressive symptoms I was having, and which brought about the necessity of going to hospital. The bipolar was not diagnosed but I was given antipsychotics, the first few types which did not agree with me at all, but another antipsychotic helped me to recover that episode.

At times I have an intuitive understanding. I read up on it some years back trying to understand myself and learned about the HPA axis. When I am having a really stressful period now I take (homeopathic) iodine to support my pituitary. Real or placebo I don't care because I do feel better for it. I am careful with the iodine supplementation as the doctor I got it off was reluctant to prescribe it hence he gave me a homeopathic version.
I am one of those on who medication doesn't always have the expected effect. I'll never forget the night I spent head banging to Black Sabbath after doing a swap and taking chlorpromazine. So much for the crashing out i had expected

What interests me more though is how treatments like acupuncture and reflexology can affect it and even regulate it in my experience where mainstream medicine can't (in my case). And all this without a shred of 'scientific evidence'

A Taoist reflexologist once told me he saw my meridians during meditation (yes I was his guinea pig but it was in a good cause and his rates were very affordable) and my reaction was to ask what colour they were. He was surprised I wanted to know and I was sort of surprised I had blurted the question without thinking. He answered me in a puzzling way they were white.

I didn't and still don't know what to make of it. My ability to understand organic chemistry and physics is just not up to schratch

Even though the base components effect mood, they don't make up all that you are the are in or out of balance with your logical mind. The way most antidepressants actually work on the mind is confusing they could block mood elevators like Serotonin and still leave you less sad than with out the chemical blocker. Just like trying to get a strait answer to how much sleep a body truly needs, no one really knows until you get to little.