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

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/ Get bonus episodes on substack! ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://depthwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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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