The human brain is constantly working to maintain balance, adapting to life’s turbulence in ways that shape our mental health. But what happens when this balance falters? How do the brain’s complex mechanisms influence our well-being? And why do treatments work so differently for everyone?
Neuroscientist Camilla Nord delves into the science of mental health, exploring how our brains strive for equilibrium. From the neurobiology of pleasure, pain, and desire to the role of mood-mediating chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and opioids, she examines the foundations of mental health in the brain. She highlights the evolving landscape of mental health interventions, discussing how approaches as varied as placebos, recreational drugs, and talk therapy work to restore balance and resilience, as well as how the brain and body interact to foster both physical and mental well-being.
She also examines the groundbreaking scientific developments that are revolutionizing the way we think about mental health, illustrating why and how events and treatments affect people in such individual ways. Along the way, Nord explains how the seemingly small things we use to lift our moods—a piece of chocolate, a walk, a chat with a friend—work on the same pathways in our brains as the latest treatments for mental health disorders.
Nord’s book, The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.
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