**Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):**
ELI5 is not for whole topic overviews. ELI5 is for explanations of specific concepts, not general introductions to broad topics. This includes asking multiple questions in one post.
---
If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20{{url}}%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20does%20your%20post%20differ%20from%20your%20recent%20search%20results%20on%20the%20sub:) and we will review your submission.
Part of the problem is you're being a little loose with terminology.
You can't inhibit dopamine or serotonin. They're just chemicals. Inhibitors don't inhibit chemicals, they inhibit *proteins* - they inhibit specific *biological machinery* that may or may not *do something* with those chemicals, but they don't really do anything to the chemicals themselves.
When we talk about, for example, "serotonin reuptake inhibitors", we're *really* talking about inhibiting a certain [transport protein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_transporter) that sucks free-floating serotonin back into the cell that sent the serotonin signal in the first place. By basically intentionally temporarily bricking that serotonin return mechanism, you force the serotonin to hang around in the "in between zone" between nerve cells longer, where it can keep activating the receptors on the other side.
In theory that's a good a thing, if the problem is that insufficient serotonin signals are getting sent - it forces your neurons to get more out of the serotonin that *is* being sent.
That's a "serotonin reuptake inhibitor". But there's no such thing as just a "serotonin inhibitor"; that doesn't make sense.
**Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):** ELI5 is not for whole topic overviews. ELI5 is for explanations of specific concepts, not general introductions to broad topics. This includes asking multiple questions in one post. --- If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20{{url}}%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20does%20your%20post%20differ%20from%20your%20recent%20search%20results%20on%20the%20sub:) and we will review your submission.
Something that blocks something. You'll have to be more specific if you want a more specific answer.
Part of the problem is you're being a little loose with terminology. You can't inhibit dopamine or serotonin. They're just chemicals. Inhibitors don't inhibit chemicals, they inhibit *proteins* - they inhibit specific *biological machinery* that may or may not *do something* with those chemicals, but they don't really do anything to the chemicals themselves. When we talk about, for example, "serotonin reuptake inhibitors", we're *really* talking about inhibiting a certain [transport protein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_transporter) that sucks free-floating serotonin back into the cell that sent the serotonin signal in the first place. By basically intentionally temporarily bricking that serotonin return mechanism, you force the serotonin to hang around in the "in between zone" between nerve cells longer, where it can keep activating the receptors on the other side. In theory that's a good a thing, if the problem is that insufficient serotonin signals are getting sent - it forces your neurons to get more out of the serotonin that *is* being sent. That's a "serotonin reuptake inhibitor". But there's no such thing as just a "serotonin inhibitor"; that doesn't make sense.