Chemically Imbalanced

Featured on ITV's THIS MORNING and in SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

'controversial and courageous' – DAILY MAIL

For years, we've been led to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are the solution. But what if this widely accepted belief has been built on unreliable truths?

In Chemically Imbalanced, renowned psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through the history of the serotonin theory of depression, from its origins in the 1960s to its widespread acceptance in the 1990s. With clarity and compelling evidence, Moncrieff exposes how scientific understanding has been swayed by social and economic forces, leading to misconceptions that have shaped treatment decisions for millions.

Accessible yet profoundly insightful, Chemically Imbalanced is essential reading for anyone seeking to make more informed choices about their mental health and understand the forces that shape the way we perceive and treat depression today.

• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword by Chris van Tulleken
• Preface
• Part 1 The Issues
  
  
  • 1 How the Chemical Imbalance Theory Changed Our Lives
  • 2 Justifying Antidepressants: The Purpose of the Chemical Imbalance Theory
  • 3 So, What is Depression?
  • 4 What are Antidepressants?
• Part 2 The History
  
  
  • 5 The Origins of the Chemical Imbalance Theory and the Early History of Antidepressants
  • 6 Serotonin Arrives on the Scene
  • 7 The 'Age of Depression'
• Part 3 The Science
  
  
  • 8 Reviewing the Evidence on the Serotonin Theory of Depression
  • 9 What Antidepressant Research Really Shows
  • 10 Spinning Straw into Gold: How We Came to Believe that Antidepressants are Effective
  • 11 How Antidepressants Affect Feelings and Sex
  • 12 Dependence and Withdrawal Effects of Antidepressants
• Part 4 Reactions
  
  
  • 13 Moving the Goalposts
  • 14 Battening Down the Hatches: Public Reactions
  • 15 The Profession Strikes Back
• Part 5 The Future
  
  
  • 16 Alternative Approaches: The Good, the Bad and the Worrying
  • 17 Informed Consent
• Epilogue
• Appendix 1: Public Information Suggesting Depression is Linked to a 'Chemical Imbalance'
• Appendix 2: What to Do if You are Taking Antidepressants: Advice and Resources
• Glossary
• Acknowledgements
• Notes