chemical imbalance theory – A New Vision for Mental Health

A Neuroscientist Evaluates the Standard Biological Model of Depression

Author: Editorial 3rd August 2023 0 Comments

This research article by Peter Sterling (Professor of Neuroscience) has been published by Mad in America. It begins: “Abstract Neuroscientists widely hypothesize that ‘depression’ arises from a brain disorder caused by some defect in a specific neural pathway. If so, we might identify…
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a coherent system

chemical imbalance theory, depression, history of psychiatry, Mad in America, medical model, neuroimaging, neuroscience, Peter Sterling, psychiatry, Research

Framing Depression as a Functional Signal Rather than a Disease Promotes Hope and Reduces Stigma, Study Finds

Author: Editorial 28th July 2023 0 Comments

This report from Julia Lejeune has been published by Mad in America. It begins: “New research reveals that individuals seeking depression treatment may benefit from an explanation of depression as serving an important human function, as opposed to a disease arising…
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a coherent system

chemical imbalance theory, depression, disease model, Hans Schroder, hope, Mad in America, psychiatry, Research, Social Science & Medicine, stigma

Response to Criticism of Our Serotonin Paper

Author: Editorial 19th June 2023 0 Comments

This article by Joanna Moncrieff and Mark Horowitz has been published by Mad in America. It begins: “We recently published a paper finding that the serotonin hypothesis of depression (the idea that depression is caused by low serotonin or reduced serotonin activity)…
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a coherent system

antidepressants, chemical imbalance theory, Joanna Moncrieff, Mad in America, Mark Horowitz, pharmaceutical industry, psychiatry, Research, serotonin

How the “Chemical Imbalance” Metaphor Harms Patients

Author: Editorial 2nd June 2023 0 Comments

This article by Justin Garson has been published in Psychology Today. It begins: People who think their depression comes from a chemical imbalance are more pessimistic about recovery. They also tend to believe that medication is more useful than therapy. Fortunately,…
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Uncategorised

chemical imbalance theory, depression, Justin Garson, Prozac, Psychology Today, serotonin, SSRIs

A chemical imbalance doesn’t explain depression. So what does?

Author: Editorial 5th April 2023 0 Comments

This article by Laura Sanders has been published in ScienceNews. It begins: “You’d be forgiven for thinking that depression has a simple explanation. The same mantra — that the mood disorder comes from a chemical imbalance in the brain — is…
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a coherent system

chemical imbalance theory, depression, HAM-D depression scale, Laura Sanders, ScienceNews, serotonin

After skool: Mark Horowitz – common misconceptions about depression & antidepressants

Author: Editorial 30th March 2023 0 Comments

Dr. Mark Horowitz is a training psychiatrist and Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. He has a doctorate in the neurobiology of depression and the action of antidepressants from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s…
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a coherent system, Key posts

antidepressants, chemical imbalance theory, depression, Mark Horowitz, medical model, neuroscience, psychiatry, videos

Are women really more mentally ill than men? As a psychologist, I’m not so sure

Author: Editorial 9th March 2023 0 Comments

“Women are disproportionately diagnosed with mental problems. But what if the crisis is one not of chemical imbalances, but power imbalances?” This article by Sanah Ahsan has been published in The Guardian. It begins: “In the UK, being a woman means…
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a coherent system

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), chemical imbalance theory, Culture & Society, psychiatry, Sanah Ahsan, The Guardian, women

Psychiatry’s Cycle of Ignorance and Reinvention: An Interview with Owen Whooley

Author: Editorial 15th February 2023 0 Comments

Ayurdhi Dhar has interviewed sociologist Prof. Owen Whooley – author of On the Heels of Ignorance : Psychiatry and the Politics of Not Knowing – about psychiatry’s stubborn perseverance in the face of recent DSM embarrassments and the failures of the biomedical model. The interview…
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a coherent system

Ayurdhi Dhar, biomedical model, chemical imbalance theory, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, DSM, Mad in America, Owen Whooley, psychiatry

Leading Psychiatrists Unwittingly Acknowledge Psychiatry Is a Religion, Not a Science

Author: Editorial 26th January 2023 0 Comments

This article by Dr. Bruce Levine has been published by Mad in America. It begins: “Since the seventeenth century, Enlightenment thinkers have distinguished science from religion, and by at least one critical distinction, leading psychiatrists have unwittingly acknowledged that major constructs…
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a coherent system

Bruce Levine, chemical imbalance theory, DSM, Mad in America, placebo effect, psychiatry, Spinoza

Antidepressants Work Better Than Sugar Pills Only 15 Percent of the Time

Author: Editorial 23rd September 2022 0 Comments

This article by Adam Piore has been published in Newsweek magazine. It begins: “Five years ago Mark Horowitz seemed an unlikely skeptic of psycho-pharmaceuticals. He had been taking the popular antidepressant Lexapro virtually every day for 15 years. He was so…
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collaborative practice

Adam Piore, antidepressants, chemical imbalance theory, Mark Horowitz, Newsweek magazine, placebo effect, psychiatry, SSRIs