Chemically Imbalanced

The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth

Joanna Moncrieff, Chris van Tulleken

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English

The History Press Ltd
01 March 2025

Social issues & processes; Pharmaceutical industries; Medicine; Pharmacology; Psychiatry

For decades now the public has been told that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance and that antidepressants work by targeting this mechanism. Millions of people have decided to take antidepressants based on this information.

Chemically Imbalanced tells the story of a scientific myth and its consequences. It traces the history of the serotonin theory of depression from its development in the 1960s, through its inculcation into popular culture in the 1990s, to the recent revelations that it is not supported by evidence.

The story illustrates the power of human interests to shape what passes as scientific knowledge, and provides people with essential information about depression and antidepressants they will not readily find elsewhere. Above all else, Chemically Imbalanced is an invitation to better understand and advocate for our mental health.

AUTHOR: Joanna Moncrieff is Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and a consultant psychiatrist for the NHS. She is an expert in the field, and in 2022 she was the lead author of a landmark study into the theory of serotonin and depression. She is a founder member and co-chairperson of the Critical Psychiatry Network, an influential network of psychiatrists and other doctors. She has written for The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Conversation, Literary Review, was profiled in the Spectator magazine and has been interviewed for The Guardian's Science Weekly podcast and the Evening Standard's Tech and Science Daily, amongst others.

By: Joanna Moncrieff
Foreword by: Chris van Tulleken
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781803996790
ISBN 10: 180399679X
Publication Date: 01 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Joanna Moncrieff is Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and a consultant psychiatrist for the NHS. She is an expert in the field, and in 2022 she was the lead author of a landmark study into the theory of serotonin and depression. She is a founder member and co-chairperson of the Critical Psychiatry Network, an influential network of psychiatrists and other doctors. She has written for The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Conversation, Literary Review, was profiled in the Spectator magazine and has been interviewed for The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast and the Evening Standard’s Tech and Science Daily, amongst others.

Reviews for Chemically Imbalanced: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth

'controversial and courageous' * DAILY MAIL * 'the most comprehensive rebuttal to date' * NEW SCIENTIST * ‘Authoritative and well-researched, Chemically Imbalanced documents the overinflation of antidepressant efficacy, where the false scientific information repeated is altogether misleading. The scale of deception and fraud unearthed is staggering and incendiary.’ -- Christopher Lane * PSYCHOLOGY TODAY *