Chemically Imbalanced

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.

‘controversial and courageous.’

• TitleCopyrightContentsForeword by Chris van TullekenPrefacePart 1 The Issues 1 How the Chemical Imbalance Theory Changed Our Lives2 Justifying Antidepressants: The Purpose of the Chemical Imbalance Theory3 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 Antidepressants6 Serotonin Arrives on the Scene7 The ‘Age of Depression’ Part 3 The Science 8 Reviewing the Evidence on the Serotonin Theory of Depression9 What Antidepressant Research Really Shows10 Spinning Straw into Gold: How We Came to Believe that Antidepressants are Effective11 How Antidepressants Affect Feelings and Sex12 Dependence and Withdrawal Effects of Antidepressants Part 4 Reactions 13 Moving the Goalposts14 Battening Down the Hatches: Public Reactions15 The Profession Strikes Back Part 5 The Future 16 Alternative Approaches: The Good, the Bad and the Worrying17 Informed Consent EpilogueAppendix 1: Public Information Suggesting Depression is Linked to a ‘Chemical Imbalance’Appendix 2: What to Do if You are Taking Antidepressants: Advice and ResourcesGlossaryAcknowledgementsNotes