The Chemical Imbalance Myth of Depression
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- A new study published by UK researchers suggests that the long-standing and widely-accepted idea that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance and low serotonin evidence is wrong. In today's video, I review this study, discuss its implications, and share some alternative theories on what really does cause depression in most people.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this video:
› 00:00 - Intro to the Chemical Imbalance Myth of Depression
› 01:46 - Criticisms of the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression
› 2:43 - Message to Those Taking SSRIs or Other Antidepressant Medications
› 3:26 - Review and Summary of New Research
› 5:17 - Evidence Against the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression
› 7:34 - Other Possible Causes of Depression
› 9:30 - Alternatives to Antidepressant Medications for Treating Depression’s Underlying Causes
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/ / Read more about the chemical imbalance myth of depression here: chriskresser.com/the-chemical...
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/ / RESEARCH & RELATED RESOURCES
› Astounding increase in antidepressant use by Americans: www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a...
› The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence: www.nature.com/articles/s4138...
› The "Chemical Imbalance" Myth: chriskresser.com/the-chemical...
› The Myth of the Chemical Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drug Treatment: www.amazon.com/Myth-Chemical-...
› No evidence that depression is caused by low serotonin levels, finds comprehensive review: www.sciencedaily.com/releases...
› Is Depression a Disease or a Symptom of Inflammation?: chriskresser.com/is-depressio...
› So depression is an inflammatory disease, but where does the inflammation come from?: bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com...
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/ / SUBSCRIBE for more videos like this: / @chriskresser
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› Facebook: / chriskresserlac
#depression #chemicalimbalance #chemicalimbalancemythofdepression - Věda a technologie
You are doing god's work here, thanks.
It makes sense that the probable cause of depression is a variety of factors, not one simple smoking gun. That’s been true about a lot of health problems I’ve had in my life - I can usually handle one or two things, but three or more start tipping me over into increased inflammation, weight gain, and mood dysregulation.
I’ve made A LOT of dietary and lifestyle changes over the last 15 years, and almost all of them helped a little. No one thing, though, and not even the combination of all of them, has left me with the energy and focus I would like. I get a better perspective, however, if I look at my peers - I am healthier than all of them. That is what motivates me to keep trying to improve, is that I am obviously better off than I would be if I hadn’t made all those changes.
I would be interested in more information about inflammation and ADHD/autism. There seems to be a lot of comorbidity between metabolic diseases - which are often rooted in chronic inflammation - and ADHD/autism. I’m starting to think that ADHD/autism are metabolic disorders with mental health symptoms.
I believe depression is a state of mind, usually brought on by unforgiveness guilt shame are just plain freaked out about what’s going on I don’t think it’s a chemical imbalance I was on Prozac for a little bit along time ago and I couldn’t stand it I couldn’t make myself pay my bills or do anything it just blank my mind out that’s all I did I need my mind to survive a soul to me and I didn’t have a support system from FAMILY either my FAITH In the Lord it’s what brought me through it, and I quit watching the news I started focusing on making myself a better person when you start just thinking about yourself and what you’re going to and don’t realize there’s always someone worse than you you talk to yourself into being depressed it’s the things you say to yourself and what other people say to you that you choose to believe you just got to get rid of that old thought process and believe God’s going to bring you to
I stressed horribly, as I made a foolish mistake,.. and my dream career job of 25yrs was in jeopardy. I lost my job,.. and I just lost it. I got horrible Insomnia, anxiety and anhedonic depression. Im in horrible condition, 7 months later. My mental and physical health are declining. I can not go outside anymore, nor do I have any desires at all. No hobbies/activities anymore. No pleasure in anything. I don't know... I don't sleep, and I suffer..24/7. I'm hurting badly..😫
In 1995 I was coming off a serious crack cocaine and alcohol abuse problem. I went to an outpatient substance abuse who had an in-house psychiatrist. I was prescribed paxil and buspar because I was told I had a Brain chemical imbalance. After taking the medication as prescribed for 2 weeks I remember not caring what other people thought of me or my behavior I basically lost my empathy for others. I stopped taking these medications cold turkey nine months later and I was so depressed I could not get out of bed for 3 weeks. Finally the depression started to lift and I was able to carry on with my life. From the very beginning of my clean and sober life I have attended 12-step on the regular and remain very involved in those programs. Thank you God and my friends in the 12-step meetings - I've been drug and alcohol-free since December 1st 1995.
Excellent information.
If someone is depressed - then have them take up aesthetic Talent Training. There's happy clapping and stomping classes or singing in a Glee Club. Howard Glasser, Madan Katara and Peter Breggin offer empathic talent training! / Anyone can develop a mental + emotional cathexis, which is what mental health is!
What about CES Cranial electrotherapy stimulation for depression. How is that affecting the inflammation?
Depression is not due to the imbalance of neurotransmitters but due to inflammation that you explained is fine. Please elaborate on inflammation that causes depression and how long that inflammation continues. Is it attitudinal or behavioural or lifestyle dependent inflammation?
They need to make an anti-depressant that increases your dopamine, not your serotonin your feel good
It’s like when you eat dark chocolate I think it must increase your dopamine levels because it sure does bring me out of the depression better than Prozac did which I never took very long because the only reason that stuff works is because it numbs your brain but if you don’t get any help on learning how to deal with problems you’ll be on them forever and probably end up with dementia from not being able to use your brain I seen this happen over and over again
Exactly, maybe it’s just me but the worse thing I see with so many people is that depression has no reason.. that it’s just a random chemical that’s off.. and this almost implies that the person doesn’t have to learn healthier things and outlooks, gratitude, appreciating the little things, etc and all the little even most sensible things a person can do to im contribute to their health.
I’ve been on and off ssri’s many times in my 51 years. I’m in great shape, work out daily, eat well, don’t drink much. My sleep is bad quite often from anxiety. But when I start an SSRI the mental weight comes off me. The burden lifts. My mind is clearer. I don’t worry incessantly. Clearly it’s not a myth for me. I look forward to hearing what you mean by “inflammation” and how it’s corrected. I just started an SSRI again - I wasn’t doing well at all and I can’t go there and keep my career. It levels me.
That’s great they help you. But the positive effects of a treatment still don’t mean a chemical imbalance is the CAUSE of the symptoms. SSRIs treat symptoms (albeit, often by way of placebo, as many studies have shown…but that doesn’t mean “bad”); that’s what they do. So if that works for you, great! But they are not a root cause solution.
Studies show inflammation in the body from processed foods, sugar, gluten, dairy and GMO-laden foods like soy can be an actually root cause of depression, so removing these things from our diet can resolve the problem at its source. (And That was true for me, as well.)
How in the world did serotonin become the chemical of focus with depression? Why is there no focus on dopamine or other neurotransmitters? Do those that benefit from SSRIs benefit due to scientifically proven reasons or is it really just placebo effect? When you have high hopes in a pill helping you then it usually will give you a feeling that it helps some whether it really is or not.
Capitalism is at the root of this mate. We shouldn't be surprised that certain groups are not diverting their empirical research to more plausible explanations, such as inflammation, when money is influencing our actions.
APPLIED knowledge is power
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 🧠 *The prevalent belief in the chemical imbalance theory of depression*
- The chemical imbalance theory of depression suggests that depression arises from a chemical imbalance and low serotonin levels, a notion widely accepted by the public.
- The belief in this theory has led to a significant increase in prescriptions for antidepressant medications in both the U.S. and the UK.
- The video introduces a recent study from UK researchers challenging this long-standing theory.
01:15 📊 *Criticisms and historical context of the chemical imbalance theory*
- The chemical imbalance theory, despite its widespread acceptance, has faced criticisms from a segment of physicians and scientists for years.
- The rise of this theory and its acceptance can be attributed to the pharmaceutical industry's influence and the absence of a robust alternative explanation.
- The section cites an article from 15 years ago that critiqued the chemical imbalance theory, highlighting its lack of evidence-based support.
03:18 📚 *Overview of the comprehensive study challenging the chemical imbalance theory*
- Dr. Joanna Moncrieff's study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry challenges the chemical imbalance theory based on an umbrella review, including 17 studies and tens of thousands of participants.
- The review found no convincing evidence supporting the theory that depression is caused by serotonin abnormalities.
- The study's findings provide a significant counter-narrative to the widely accepted belief and raise questions about the real efficacy and mechanisms of antidepressant medications.
05:09 🧪 *Scientific evidence against the chemical imbalance theory*
- Studies have consistently shown no significant difference in serotonin levels between individuals with depression and healthy controls.
- Artificially lowering serotonin levels did not induce depression in healthy volunteers, further challenging the theory's validity.
- Large-scale studies found no genetic differences related to serotonin transporters between depressed individuals and their healthy counterparts.
07:45 🌐 *Exploring alternative theories and perspectives on depression*
- Depression is a multifaceted condition influenced by various factors, including nutrient deficiency, gut health, inflammation, environmental toxins, hormone imbalance, trauma, and stressful life events.
- The video introduces the inflammatory cytokine model of depression, suggesting that inflammation could be a significant cause of depressive symptoms.
- Acknowledging the complexity of depression encourages a broader understanding beyond oversimplified chemical imbalance explanations.
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I still have Prozac here I’ll take it every once in a while for some reason I can take it the same day and it just blinks my mouth and mind out so I don’t overthink that I need my mind like I said, I knew when they first put me on that When I asked the psychiatrist how do you know that I don’t have enough serotonin he said we go by the questions that we ask you that doesn’t make sense to me I don’t even trust regular doctors let alone psychiatrist they just know what they’re tired, you have to take responsibility for your own health and mental health I do know this for a fact that if people start using alcohol or drugs marijuana to help them get through things they never learn how to handle anything I’ve seen it with so many people and then when they don’t have a drug to numb the reality they get worse, it’s common sense to me and I had a nervous break where my mind protected me, they called it a nervous breakdown my mind just totally went blank one day I wasn’t on any medicine but my world was turned topsy-turvy and I had three children to take care of on my own I was in a serious car accident anyway I’m still here and I’m 68 years old now and I made it to Covid after being in the hospital for three months I truly believe that if you blame other people for your problems and you don’t have the Lord in your life
The evil in this world will take you over got to stay close to the Lord or Satan will discourages make you think the wrong thoughts this is coming from a person who’s been there done that in my early 20s and now I’m 68 and when I had Covid they didn’t expect me to live but I know the Lord told me to fight for my life so I did and I’m still here
Thank you for your heart-felt story, LaDonna. This hits close to home. You are such a strong person, and you should be seriously proud of yourself for realising everything you have written and for going through all of this whilst having to raise children. It really seems many of us are too uncomfortable to ask the important questions that may, in fact, help us to become better people.
Take care of yourself!
Everyone at some point can experience depression via situations such as a loss of a loved one, loss of job, foreclosures, divorces, poor health, etc. Stress can play a major role in depression. In the center of it all is the gut! If your sad or stressed you may not want to eat, what does that tell you? So then we have nutrient deficiencies that can blunt our coping mechanisms and prohibit natural biochemical reactions in our bodies. Give your body what it needs to heal, good nutrient rich foods (try to eat organic), try to eliminate toxins, stay hydrated and try to focus on your blessings, being grateful for them. Get out in nature. Walk barefoot if you can.
You’ve got it all backwards…Depression is indeed a chemical imbalance, but that chemical imbalance is a result of the possible causes you listed. This is one the first things a psychiatrist will tell you if you have depression. Seriously, who is this guy? 🤦🏼♂️
Have you got proof for your claim that depression is a 'chemical imbalance' and, if so, what chemical is 'imbalanced'? Please cite your evidence, too.
They also give people neuroleptics (antipsychotics) which literally cause brain damage, particularly the frontal lobe. A chemical lobotomy if you will.