In this podcast, Antonella Aguilera-Ruiz, ND discusses the most evidence based way to talk about depression with our patients. And what can be the implications of attributing causation to the chemical imbalance theory. We take a look at two trials that give insight on why complexity is likely the name of the game and how causal attribution affects patient outcomes. 

References: 

Kemp, J. J., Lickel, J. J., & Deacon, B. J. (2014). Effects of a chemical imbalance causal explanation on individuals’ perceptions of their depressive symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 56, 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2014.02.009

Nolan, A., & O’Connor, C. (2019). The effect of causal attributions for depression on help-seeking and treatment preferences. Journal of Affective Disorders, 257, 477–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.017

Zimmermann, M., & Papa, A. (2020). Causal explanations of depression and treatment credibility in adults with untreated depression: Examining attribution theory. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 93(3), 537–554. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12247