Ten Myths about Depression and Psycho-Pharmacology

From David Healy MDs article: Psychiatry Gone Astray

Ten Myths about Depression and Psycho-Pharmacology:

Myth 1: Your disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain

Myth 2: It’s no problem to stop treatment with antidepressants

Myth 3: Psychotropic Drugs for Mental Illness are like Insulin for Diabetes

Myth 4: Psychotropic drugs reduce the number of chronically ill patients

Myth 5: Happy pills do not cause suicide in children and adolescents

Myth 6: Happy pills have no side effects

Myth 7: Happy pills are not addictive

Myth 8: The prevalence of depression has increased a lot

Myth 9: The main problem is not overtreatment, but undertreatment

Myth 10: Antipsychotics prevent brain damage

Read the explanation of each myth at David Healy MDs website: Psychiatry Gone Astray

More info from Beyond Meds: Chemical imbalance myth and biopsychiatry links — has a collection of links that speak particularly to the idea that mental illness is NOT best explained via a chemical imbalance in the brain

and

• SSRI and antidepressant info