The Depression Trap

Media articles stating that depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain are not backed up by scientific evidence.  This is the finding of Jeffrey Lacasse and Jonathan Leo who spent about a year monitoring such news items. They contacted the authors of articles to ask for the scientific evidence to back up what they had written. None were able to do so satisfactorily. This is hardly surprising, as there is no definitive evidence to back up the chemical imbalance theory. (click here for the full story).

The idea that depression is caused by chemical imbalances was developed in the 1960’s when it was observed that some people seemed to show an improvement in their symptoms after taking certain drugs. However, there has never been any definitive evidence to show that levels of chemicals such as serotonin are directly related to depression. The use of antidepressants is based on this unproven theory and there is increasing debate as to whether antidepressants actually work (see last week’s blog entry). The reality is that we still don’t know what causes depression. Current theories include serotonin imbalance, genetics, stress, psychological factors, social factors, spiritual crisis and various combinations of these factors. 

So why don’t media articles reflect this situation? Is it just laziness? Could it be that journalists receive press releases from pharmaceutical companies and just assume they are correct, without bothering to check the facts? Those with a vested interest in the chemical imbalance theory have a lot of money and are well placed to saturate the media with their version of reality. Or maybe it’s because headlines such as ‘Depression caused by chemical imbalances’ or ‘Antidepressants don’t work’ are more likely to cell papers than the more accurate or ‘We Still Aren’t Sure What Causes Depression’ or ‘Lack of Evidence of Clinical Effectiveness of Antidepressants Compared to Placebos’.

If our understanding of depression and hence our ability to treat it is to improve then the media need to start presenting a more balanced picture. Perhaps we can all play our part by speaking out and making sure that the media are aware of the alternative views and challenging articles which we know are misleading.  I don’t know what causes depression, but I do know that the truth is best served by open debate and genuine enquiry.