August 13, 2022

04. The History of the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Mental Health

31 minutes

Research showing that the chemical imbalance theory of mental health is a myth has just hit news cycles again, but this is not the first time this theory has been debunked. Many working in the field have known there is little evidence to support this theory, so why is it only recently the public has been informed? How did this myth originate and where do we go from here?

In this episode you’ll learn

what current research is showing about the lack of evidence for links between depression and serotonin

the history behind the chemical imbalance theory and how it became popularized

why psychiatrists and people in the field have know the chemical imbalance theory is a myth for years and why the public wasn't informed

what this means for antidepressants and psychotropic medication

Links:

Institute for the Development of Human Arts - http://www.idha-nyc.org/

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Research

The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence (Montcrieff et al). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0.pdf

Time lag in medical science: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3241518/

Montcrieff’s response to criticism: https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/07/response-criticism-serotonin-paper/

Rolling stones article about fueling right wing media: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/ssri-right-wing-attack-joanna-moncrieff-1388067/

Moncrieff’s Response to Rolling Stone article: https://joannamoncrieff.com/2022/08/03/first-they-ignore-you-then-they-ridicule-you-and-then-they-attack-you/

Healing by Thomas insel https://www.thomasinselmd.com/healing

Antidepressant effect rates: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/6/e024886 & https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7418603/

Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020392

Other research on chemical imbalance theory & public perception :https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:267045/datastream/PDF/view ,

Books describing history of chemical imbalance theory and over-reliance on pharmaceuticals for mental health treatment

The inflamed mind by Dr. Edward Bullmore - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39899586-the-inflamed-mind

Cracked by James Davies - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cracked/James-Davies/9781639360253

Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker https://robertwhitakerbooks.com/anatomy-of-an-epidemic/

Disclaimer: The DEPTH Work Podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Information on this podcast in no way to be construed or substituted as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy or medical advice.

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