Lazy Alliteration

Afraid I can't help it! Referring to serotonin as the 'happy hormone', just makes me wince! Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, conducting impulses in parts of the nervous system. It's not, unlike a real hormone, secreted into the blood circulation for transport around the body. There's a sensible debate to have about the serotonin deficiency hypothesis as the cause of depression. This hypothesis is nothing like as well-established, as is assumed by the general public (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/14/the-great-serotonin-debate-do-depression-treatments-work-by-boosting-the-happy-hormone). A variety of serotonin enhancing drugs are routinuely used to treat 'depression'. Many scientists, however, recognise that such medication will not help all people with symptoms of depression. It's more than likely that depression is a complex condition with a variety of subtypes. Routinely prescribing drugs, that inhibit the break down of serotonin, without investigating the patient's background, is lazy treatment. Misrepresenting the role of serotonin, in our body's, doesn't help.