Source: # Dopamine – neurotransmitters *From the book – Chapter 4: Hormones and Brain Chemicals* ## Dopamine Functions: reward, motivation, pleasure, movement, focus, learning. Imbalances linked to: addiction, Parkinson disease, schizophrenia, ADHD. High levels: can cause mania, hallucinations, impulsivity. Low levels: can cause depression, lack of motivation, movement problems. Natural boosters: achieving goals, exercise, music, adequate sleep. Clinic note. Pleasure from finishing a small task is not addiction. Addiction is when the seeking takes the life. Parkinson and schizophrenia are medical. Do not diagnose them from this paragraph. [Read the full chapter – Chapter 4: Hormones and Brain Chemicals](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/chapter/4/) ## Stories from real life - [Night Shifts and Biscuits](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/story/night-shifts-and-biscuits-13/) – Neha, thirty-one, was a staff nurse in Mumbai who worked three weeks of night shifts each month. Between 2 and 4 a.m. she kept going on… - [Tired All the Time, and Not Just Sad](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/story/tired-all-the-time-and-not-just-sad-14/) – Kavita, thirty-eight, taught primary school in Lucknow. For almost six months she had felt tired in a way that sleep did not fix. She had put… - [Heat, Hormones and Hurtful Words](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/story/heat-hormones-and-hurtful-words-15/) – Lakshmi, forty-seven, ran a small tailoring shop in Madurai. Over the past year her periods had become irregular, and she woke drenched at night with hot… - [It Is Not Only a Chemical](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/story/it-is-not-only-a-chemical-16/) – Tom, twenty-nine, was an engineer in Glasgow who had been feeling flat for months. He ate takeaway at his desk, slept until noon at weekends and… ## Shloks - [Bhagavad Gita 6.16](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/shloka/bhagavad-gita-6-16-15/) – Yoga is not for one who overeats or starves, nor for one who sleeps too much or never sleeps. More on this topic: [The brain, hormones and body chemistry behind your moods](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/topic/brain-and-body/) ## More questions - [Noradrenaline (norepinephrine) – neurotransmitters](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/noradrenaline-norepinephrine-neurotransmitters/) - [GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) – neurotransmitters](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/gaba-gamma-aminobutyric-acid-neurotransmitters/) - [Glutamate – neurotransmitters](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/glutamate-neurotransmitters/) - [Acetylcholine – neurotransmitters](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/acetylcholine-neurotransmitters/) - [Understanding hormones affecting mental health](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/understanding-hormones-affecting-mental-health/) - [Cortisol (stress hormone) – hormones affecting mental health](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/cortisol-stress-hormone-hormones-affecting-mental-health/) - [Thyroid hormones (T3, T4) – hormones affecting mental health](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/thyroid-hormones-t3-t4-hormones-affecting-mental-health/) - [Estrogen – hormones affecting mental health](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/estrogen-hormones-affecting-mental-health/) - [Progesterone – hormones affecting mental health](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/progesterone-hormones-affecting-mental-health/) - [Testosterone – hormones affecting mental health](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/answers/testosterone-hormones-affecting-mental-health/) [myadvisorfriend@gmail.com](mailto:myadvisorfriend@gmail.com) · [Contact](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/contact/) · [About](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/about/) · [Privacy](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/privacy/) · [Disclaimer](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/disclaimer/) --- *Psychology for Everyone – A Mental Well Being Series* by Satish Zope · free to read · Contact: [myadvisorfriend@gmail.com](mailto:myadvisorfriend@gmail.com) · [About](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/about/) · [Privacy](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/privacy/) · [Disclaimer](https://psychologyforeveryone.com/disclaimer/)