Chemically Imbalanced - by Joanna Moncrieff (Hardcover)

About the Book

We have been told for decades that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, but is that the truth?

Book Synopsis

Featured on ITV's THIS MORNING and in SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

'controversial and courageous' - DAILY MAIL

For years, we've been led to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are the solution. But what if this widely accepted belief has been built on unreliable truths?

In Chemically Imbalanced, renowned psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through the history of the serotonin theory of depression, from its origins in the 1960s to its widespread acceptance in the 1990s. With clarity and compelling evidence, Moncrieff exposes how scientific understanding has been swayed by social and economic forces, leading to misconceptions that have shaped treatment decisions for millions.

Accessible yet profoundly insightful, Chemically Imbalanced is essential reading for anyone seeking to make more informed choices about their mental health and understand the forces that shape the way we perceive and treat depression today.

Review Quotes

'Authoritative and well-researched, Chemically Imbalanced documents the overinflation of antidepressant efficacy, where the false scientific information repeated is altogether misleading. The scale of deception and fraud unearthed is staggering and incendiary.'

--Christopher Lane "Psychology Today"

'controversial and courageous.'

-- "Daily Mail"

'the most comprehensive rebuttal to date.'

-- "New Scientist"

'A complicated story told with patience and passion on behalf of the patient.'

--Jeannette Hyde, author of The Gut Makeover

'Everyone 'knows' that depression is caused by low levels of serotonin in the brain. However, the scientific data show that this is false. Professor Joanna Moncrieff and her colleagues have reviewed these data and exposed the fact that the serotonin-depression connection is a myth. This book should be read by all psychiatrists and physicians with depressed patients, as well as by anyone considering taking an antidepressant medication.'

--Irving Kirsch, academic at the Harvard Medical School and author of The Emperor's New Drugs

'Joanna Moncrieff is one of the most important scientists in the world. Her research has revolutionised our understanding - everyone should read this book.'

--Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus and Lost Connections

'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.'

--Gabor Maté M.D., author of The Myth of Normal and When the body says no

'This is a scholarly and utterly engaging examination of one of the most important health scandals of the last few decades. Privileging the use of anti-depressants over all other individual and structural solutions for the growing crisis of mental health has harmed millions of people - this book is essential reading from one of the most important voices in the psychiatry. It has my enthusiastic support.'

--Chris Van Tulleken, doctor, TV presenter and author of Ultra-Processed People and Secrets of the Human Body

'This is the most important health book written in recent decades. It exposes a medical myth that has misled millions of people into taking powerful psychotropic drugs unnecessarily. It tells the story of how science was abused in the service of money and power, and how we, the public, have been the victims. This is the chilling story of how, in the name of helping, a medical community has caused harm, and how we can put things right again.'

--James Davies, academic and author of Sedated and Cracked

About the Author

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.