Millions of people take medication for depression, anxiety and other forms of psychological distress
For many, it provides relief and in some cases it saves lives
But there is a question that is rarely discussed:
Does medication actually fix the underlying problem that causes mental suffering?
That’s a question that nobody answered
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Dr. Joanna Moncrieff points out in her book, “Chemically Imbalanced” that over 80% of the people taking these “Medications” believe that they have a chemical imbalance
And they believe that white lie because they were told it for decades in adverts, on billboards and by their doctors.
Why is this a problem?
After all we take an aspirin if we have a headache
We take insulin if we have diabetes
But here’s the thing!
If you are told by your doctor that your depression, anxiety or insomnia is caused by a fault in your body you look no further.
You take the drug they give you and both you and your doctor feel better.
Dr Josef Witt-Doerring, a board-certified psychiatrist and former FDA Medical Officer, points out that despite decades of research—including brain scans, blood and post-mortem studies—no one has demonstrated a chemical imbalance which is why psychiatrists don’t do physical tests to confirm diagnosis.
Sit with that for a minute – there is no actual evidence to support the chemical imbalance myth.
No DSM psychiatric disorder has a single proven biological cause in the way diabetes has insulin deficiency or hypothyroidism has thyroid hormone deficiency.
OK – so what do these drugs actually do?
These drugs alter normal neurotransmitter function and , to a greater or lesser extent, mask your symptoms.
Many can also produce physical dependence, which is why stopping them suddenly can be so dangerous and should not be undertaken without medical assistance.
I will leave a link to the Taperclinic in the description.
So if medication doesn’t remove the underlying cause of psychological suffering, what does?
Dr Josef Witt-Doerring often says that real recovery means rebuilding three things:
Your life—your relationships with the world and yourself
Your mind—the patterns of habitual attention,
Your soul—your sense of meaning,
At the end of the day, Medication may help you cope with the journey. For some people it may even be the first step.
But no medication can rebuild your life…
retrain your mind…
or restore your soul.
Those are things only you can do.
And that’s a question nobody answered.”
References:
- Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R.E., Stockmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M.P. and Horowitz, M.A. (2023) ‘The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence’, Molecular Psychiatry, 28(8), pp. 3243–3256. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0
- Moncrieff, J. (2025) Chemically Imbalanced: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth. Bristol: Bristol University Press.
- Horowitz, M.A. and Taylor, D. (2019) ‘Tapering of SSRI treatment to mitigate withdrawal symptoms’, The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(6), pp. 538–546. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30032-X
- Moncrieff, J. and Cohen, D. (2009) ‘How do psychiatric drugs work?’, BMJ, 338, b1963. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b1963
- Kirsch, I. (2019) The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth. Revised edn. London: The Bodley Head.
- Witt-Doerring, J. (2024) What Doctors Often Don’t Tell You About Antidepressants [Interview]. American Thought Leaders. Available online.
- Witt-Doerring, J. (2024–2026) TaperClinic Educational Resources. Available at the TaperClinic website.
- Breggin, P.R. (2008) Medication Madness: The Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide and Crime. New York: St Martin’s Press.