Don't fall for the myth of the chemical imbalance in the brain

One of the pioneers of the ”chemical imbalance” as a model to explain the depression was a psychiatrist, Joseph Schildkraut, who in 1965 published a paper, ”The

Don't fall for the myth of the chemical imbalance in the brain

One of the pioneers of the ”chemical imbalance” as a model to explain the depression was a psychiatrist, Joseph Schildkraut, who in 1965 published a paper, ”The Catecholamine Hypothesis of Affective Disorders” in which he argued that a shortage of certain neurotransmitters in the brain which could cause depression. The whole idea was based, however, on nothing more than an heuristically, reasoning, and Schildkraut, himself, was clear about his assumptions, which were based on insufficient and contradictory scientific research. (1).

When you look back at the decades of scientific research, one can in good conscience say that you were never able to prove that depression and anxiety are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. However, there is much research that debunks the hypothesis. (2,3,4)
As the old one onanimyten
Depression does not have a lower serotoninnivåer than the others, and when healthy individuals of substances that depletes their levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine in the brain, so that they do not get depressed. (2,5,6).

the Psychiatrist, David Healy, summed up the forskningsunderlaget in 2005, with the following words: ”The serotonin theory of depression is comparable to the masturbatory theory of insanity (the theory that masturbation was an important and frequent cause of mental disease). Both have been depletion theories, both have survived in spite of the evidence...”

< Faktaresistent läkarkår
the Hypothesis has, however, proved to be the closest to the faktaresistent, and is now well-established among the general public and the medical profession. 2005, a study carried out by the american psychiatric association that 75 percent of americans believed that mental illness was caused by a ”chemical imbalance” in the brain. (7).

What is the reason for this unawareness of?

Ever since the successful launch of the ”happy pills” Prozac (Fluoxetine), during the 80's and 90's, pharmaceutical companies have engaged in marketing campaigns in order to get as many people as possible to have a psychotropic medication for depressed mood and / or anxiety. For this purpose, the myth of the chemical imbalance has been the perfect marknadsföringssagan by then, the drugs on the transmission of neurotransmitters.

a FASS patient information leaflets to a range of antidepressant drugs are found, the claim of a chemical imbalance as the cause of the great depression. Of the SSRIS, preparation Medication may be read as follows: ”This is the type of medication corrects the chemical imbalance in the brain that cause the symptoms of your disease. Depression/panikångesttillstånd is considered to be due to the deficiency of various neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin.” It is the Irish equivalent of the Fda banned in 2003, these statements in the patient information leaflet, on the grounds that they lack scientific basis.

< Vårdguiden adds to the myth
Men have, surprisingly, we also found its way into the Swedish vårdguide 1177, where they write: ”In a depression, the neurotransmitters, and their inter-relationships to be in a state of imbalance... anti-depressant drugs affect the and increases activity of the neurotransmitters, to get the balance right again.”

Thus, it is not surprising that many of the patients believe that their depression is due to chemical imbalance. Why is this a problem?
the Individual is seen as powerless to
the spread of the false model of explanation of the chemical imbalance the provide you to infer that the person is helpless and unable to change themselves or their situation, and that the road to recovery is beyond their own power. It does, hence the patient is in control, and their well-being, and to prevent the tillfriskningsprocess you want to create the conditions for it. < / span> < / span>

the Doctor of family and community medicine





Schildkraut JJ (1965) The catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorders: A review of supporting evidence. Am J Psychiatry 122: 509-522.

Jeffrey L Lacasse ”Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature.”

David Healy. ”The structure of psychopharmacological revolutions.”

Moncrieff, J. & Cohen, D. (2005). Rethinking models of psychotropic drug action. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 74(3), 145-153.

and Asberg, M (1976) ”Serotonin depression”- a biochemical subgroup within the affective disorders? Science. In 1976, Jan 6;191(4226):478-80

Joseph, the common misconception is: ”the Brain Biogenic Amine Depletion and Mood.”

the American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2005), p. 1
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Date Of Update: 23 December 2019, 08:53