Your Brain Is Not To Blame: Research Finds “Low Serotonin” Is Not The Cause of Depression
If you’ve ever struggled with depression and sought help for it, your doctor probably recommended taking antidepressants. Depression has been long known as a “chemical imbalance” in the brain, but new research has found that low serotonin levels aren’t to blame for this prevailing mental health issue.
A recent Psychology Today article reported on a comprehensive review challenging the serotonin hypothesis as the leading cause of depression. While researchers have been questioning the supposed cause-and-effect relationship between serotonin and depression since the early 2000s, strong pharmaceutical marketing, cultural influence, and highly subjective U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals squashed scientific scrutiny. This has led to an incredible surge in anti-depressant medication since the 1990s, resulting in a multi-billion dollar industry. Today, 85-90% of the public believes that a “chemical imbalance” in the brain is responsible for depression.