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For decades, researchers believed that depression was caused by a ‘chemical imbalance’ in the brain, i.e. an imbalance of a brain chemical called serotonin. However, new research indicates that may not be the case.Summary
This article by Joanna Moncrieff and Mark Horowitz, writing for The Conversation, makes the following points:
- First proposed in the 1960s, the serotonin theory of depression started to be widely promoted by the pharmaceutical industry in the 1990s.
- The serotonin theory was also endorsed by institutions such as the American Psychiatric Association, which still supports the theory.
- Whilst many supported the serotonin theory, some leading psychiatrists believe there is no satisfactory evidence to support the idea.
- Two systematic reviews from 2006 and 2007, and a sample of the ten most recent studies (at the time the current research was conducted), found that lowering serotonin did not produce depression in hundreds of healthy volunteers.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
- Zinc and Depression: What's the Connection? | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- Queensland scientists discover previously unknown genes linked to depression | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
References from the Web:
- JUL 2022 The Evidence Is In: Depression Might Not Be Linked to Low Serotonin After All—Very Well Mind
- JUL 2022 What doctors think about antidepressants and the ‘serotonin theory’—RACGP
- JUL 2022 Depression and Serotonin: What the New Review Actually Says—Psychology Today
Source: Conversation, The
- Link to Source: The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news etc.
- Media Check: The Conversation - Media Bias/Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
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