Why does symptom intensity fluctuate?

[UrshumMurshum]

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I'm not a psychiatrist, but just as someone who is curious about mental disorders, I've searched around the internet and haven't really found any sources as to why symptoms in common conditions such as schizophrenia or OCD wax and wane?

Neurotransmitters or brain structure would seem to allow for only constant presentation of symptoms.

I was just wondering about the feasibility of perhaps an autoimmune mechanism of some sort that triggers a vulnerable brain (deficient neurotransmitter, abnormal brain structure) as autoimmune disorders are commonly defined by "wax and wane" presentation and are exacerbated by stress just like mental illnesses are.

 

[nitemagi]

Your brain changes with every thought, and every perception. Variables are changing every minute, all of which influence the chemistry of the brain in many ways we probably haven't even figured out yet.

 

[Ibid]

Your brain changes with every thought, and every perception. Variables are changing every minute, all of which influence the chemistry of the brain in many ways we probably haven't even figured out yet.

Take out the probably imo.

 

[digitlnoize]

Neurotransmitters or brain structure would seem to allow for only constant presentation of symptoms.

I think this is where you're misunderstanding things. The brain is the most changing, dynamic structure in the body. For example, the amounts of neurotransmitters available in the synaptic clefts can be very variable. Different chemicals are released during times of stress (emotional or physical), and on and on.

Compare it to Hypertension. On the surface, you might reason that blood pressure should remain constant because the heart pumps with a constant force (when healthy), and blood vessels are just tubes to carry the blood so they have a constant pressure. Then you learn that the blood vessels are actually able to change their size depending on the needs of the body, and suddenly the pressure system in your circulatory system becomes VERY dynamic...even in the absence of disease. Add in heart failure, artery blockages, venous thromboses, etc and you have a very complex, changing system.

The brain is even MORE complex and dynamic than the circulatory system, which is rudimentary by comparison. Change is constant and ongoing.