Chemical Imbalance and Depression: Cause or Effect?
A couple of months ago, Dr. Jonathan Leo contacted me about an article he had published that asks a very important question on the relationship that we (including myself) have come to take for granted: chemical balance and depression.
The journal article is called, “The Media and the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression.” It is a follow up to another article published in an open source scientific journal (PLoS Medicine) about the serotonin theory of depression.
The following is an excerpt of my response to Dr. Leo about his article.
Dear Jonathan,
I’ve read your paper and find your premise intriguing. Even though I’ve been trained as a scientist and also have experienced depression as a patient, I can honestly say that I’ve never questioned the semantics used around depression, as your paper questions. (Before I continue, I’ll also declare a potential conflict of interest since I used to work in the pharma industry and currently provide consulting services to biopharma companies in the area of medical affairs.)
I’m saying this without citing any sources or references, but rather based on personal experience of having received both pharmacological agents and psychological (cognitive) intervention. While I do think there is some sort of a “chemical imbalance” that occurs in a condition such as depression, I don’t believe that serotonin alone (or even in conjunction with an array of neurotransmitters) can provide a simple enough answer to “cause” depression. …Thus your demand to distinguish between “causative” vs. “correlative” is extremely important to address.
I also believe that depression is not a chemical problem alone, nor is it a sociological problem alone (i.e. “lack of willpower” or “oversensitive individual”), but a complex condition that may very well include genetic predisposition, chemical pathways, sociological context, and a person’s emotional make-up (which obviously can hardly be adequately objectively quantified to be scientifically examined). It is unlike certain cancers where a genetic defect leading to lack of a tumor suppressor protein then leads an individual to develop a cancer.
One of the “benefits” of the unproven chemical imbalance hypothesis has been an encouragement of those to seek treatment who otherwise may never have sought help for depression. However, this also goes to the other extreme, to the point where doctors are too quick to prescribe an antidepressant because they wanted to see the next patient and make their per diem “patient quotas” and break even financially as practicing doctors. Hence the overprescribed society we live in today.
Dr. Leo is now working on a paper about ghost writing and has edited a book called, Rethinking ADHD
I’m interested to what you think about Dr. Leo’s research, and questioning the “chemical imbalance (causative) theory” of depression.
Originally published on February 2, 2008
More About Our Society Than About Britney
Sure, I know about Britney Spears‘ fast track down the self-destruction path. It’s hard not to know. When I turn on the TV, she makes the evening news (that’s in addition to tabloid “news” magazines littering our stations). When I wait to checkout at the grocers, her image graces the tabloid magazine decking the “impulse-buy” aisles. I’m not a groupie by any means, although I admit I enjoyed her early boppity-songs like “Baby One More Time” and “Oops I Did It Again”. However, I find “Piece of Me” is one of Spears’ most candid work to date.
The images and words for “Piece of Me” far surpasses an initial, weak attempt with the images in Spears’ music video “Everytime”. “Piece of Me” shows us that how much of what Spears was and has become is as much a reflection of our society as the choices Spears has made as an individual.
What kind of mental state of mind can I expect from a person whose “adoring” public and paparazzi treat her as their property with full rights to worship as an object while at the same time laugh, gawk, and sneer at her? That’s in addition to “set-up situations” Spears alluded to in “Piece of Me”: “I’m Mrs. ‘You want a piece of me?’ Tryin’ and pissin’ me off / Well get in line with the paparazzi / Who’s flippin’ me off / Hopin’ I’ll resort to some havoc / End up settlin’ in court”.
I’d be amazed if she DIDN’T descend down the spiral of destruction.
So here’s to another celebrity who our society relishes in building up to tear down in public spectacles. Who opportunists drools over. Who false friends swarms around… And from whom photographers and tabloid journalists earn their keep for another day.
Author’s Novel Increases Awareness of Depression in African Americans
Bebe Moore Campbell is a best selling African American novelist who has published a novel called 72 Hour Hold, in which an upscale Los Angeles shop owner has a daughter suffering from bipolar disorder. African Americans may have similar prevalence of bipolar disorder as other Americans, but may be less likely to be diagnosed and treated.
Campbell’s personal experience with a mentally ill relative inspired her novel, and has since co-founded a regional National Alliance on Mental Illness in Inglewood, California.
Kenneth Meeks of BlackEnterprises.com had an exclusive interview with Campbell to increase awareness of mental health issues within the black community. Important points from their interview included:
- In mental illness there are 2 affected parties: the patient and the caregiver
- Most still don’t want to “talk about it”
- Social Stigma is still the main reason why people don’t seek help or stay in treatment
- People do want support from the community