Chemically imbalanced - The making and unmaking of the serotonin myth

The use of medication for mental disorders is increasing rapidly, especially antidepressants.

But is there really a solid basis for such a medication?centered view of depression and other mental health conditions?The British psychiatrist and author Joanna Moncrieff is a leading voice in the Critical Psychiatry Network.

Her latest book, Chemically Imbalanced ? The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth (2025), is a rather unsettling account of how a highly debatable theory ? that depression is caused by some form of imbalance in the serotonin system ? became mainstream, even though the evidence is weak, to say the least.Physician and author Gabor Maté says:"This essential book debunks one of the greatest misperceptions besetting current medical practice: that what we call mental illness is reducible to biological causes, divorced from people?s life experiences and traumas.

Dr.

Moncrieff explains both the scientific flaws and the deliberate manipulations underlying much of today?s psychiatric ideology and treatment."Moncrieff has also written The Myth of the Chemical Cure (2007) and The Bitterest Pills (2013), and is an active public commentator in the United Kingdom, with articles and interviews in outlets such as The Guardian and The Spectator.