Myth or Fact - Chemical Imbalance In The Brain

[IvyRose]

Taken from a Blog...

Are "chemical imbalances" real?

Psychiatrist David Kaiser commented on psychiatry’s promotion of such imbalances to the public in the December, 1996 Psychiatric Times. "Unfortunately what I also see these days are the casualties of this new biologic psychiatry, as patients often come to me with many years of past treatment. Patients having been diagnosed with "chemical imbalances" despite the fact that no test exists to support such a claim, and that there is no real conception of what a correct chemical balance would look like." Additionally, Kaiser points out that "modern psychiatry has yet to convincingly prove the genetic/biologic cause of any single mental illness.

This does not stop psychiatry from making essentially unproven claims that depression, bipolar illness, anxiety disorders, alcoholism, and a host of other disorders are in fact primarily biologic and probably genetic in origin, and that it is only a matter of time until all this is proven".

Kaiser is not alone in his opinion. Psychiatrist Loren Mosher resigned from the APA after 35 years of membership stating that "what we are dealing with here is fashion, politics, and money. This level of intellectual/scientific dishonesty is just too egregious for me to continue to support by my membership". [David Kaiser, Against Biologic Psychiatry, in Psychiatric Times, Vol. 13, Issue 12, 1996, internet article text does not include page numbers]

I've read other articles about chemical imbalances in the brain not having much weight. I was curious as to how the Psych Students here would react to such claims and possibly give their explanations of why or why not they believe in them.

I was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance in my brain when I was 16 years old. There was not a scan done or any medical record backing up such a claim. I was given Prozac before I had even been seen by a Psychiatrist yet. My mother was just tired of me being mad all the time, teenage angst.

I have also read that Depression is normal. It's when it doesn't lift for a long period of time that it becomes abnormal.

I just wanted to state that yes, I like Psychiatry. It has its merit, but some things I do disagree with. I disagree with some Medical practices too, but I haven't stopped going to the doctor.

The chemical imbalance in one's brain, why is it not measured and why won't doctors try to find an underlying medical cause in all cases, not just some?

Two Movies; "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "The Exorcist." They were based on real stories. Both of the people in the true stories were treated by a Priest instead of a Medical Doctor. They were both going through Psychosis. Both were found to have a specific form of Epilepsy after it was too late.

I don't want to get all Tom Cruise on anyone, but isn't that what Psychology is doing here?

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain