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Debunking the chemical imbalance theory of depression and raising questions about antidepressants
18 May 2023, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm
This Lunch Hour Lecture will describe recent research that exposed the fact that there is no convincing evidence to support the claim that depression is caused by low serotonin.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
UCL Events
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About the lecture:
This lecture will describe recent research that exposed the fact that there is no convincing evidence to support the claim that depression is caused by low serotonin. It will describe the author’s previous work which challenges the general idea that the drugs prescribed for mental health problems work by targeting an underlying biological abnormality. It will present an alternative explanation for the action of these drugs that highlights how they are substances that change normal brain chemistry and thereby modify normal mental activity and behaviour. Finally it will consider what this means for the use of drugs such as antidepressants, and suggest that we need to fundamentally re-evaluate the pros and cons of using them.
About the Speaker
Joanna Moncrieff
Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at UCL
Joanna Moncrieff is a Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and works as a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS in London. She researchers and writes about the over-use and misrepresentation of psychiatric drugs and about the history, politics and philosophy of psychiatry more generally. She is author of numerous papers and her books include A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs Second edition (PCCS Books), The Bitterest Pills: The Troubling Story of Antipsychotic Drugs (2013) and The Myth of the Chemical Cure (2009) (Palgrave Macmillan). Her website is https://joannamoncrieff.com/, Twitter handle @joannamoncrieff