Brain chemical imbalances have been widely promoted as existing in depression for the past 50 years. In this book, Terry Lynch reveals some shocking truths. Chemical imbalances have never been found to exist in depression. The story of the rise of this falsehood is presented, a falsehood that is more prevalent in modern times then the flat earth delusion was in the past. This falsehood meets psychiatry's own criteria for a delusion. Adhering to principles of logic and science, Terry Lynch illustrates the absurdity of this widely held belief. He includes many references of doctors, other mental health professionals, the media and influential individuals espousing this falsehood as a known fact. He also included statements made by prominent doctors, scientists, psychologists and others over the past fifty years, expressing great concern that this falsehood has been widely misrepresented as if it were a fact, not least by members of the medical profession. The book addresses why drug companies are withdrawing from psychiatric research, who are the big winners and losers, and whether doctors have sufficient knowledge to justify their standing as THE foremost mental health experts. The author describes the major adverse consequences of the depression brain chemical imbalance delusion, and why this and other related mental health delusions must be removed from the mental health landscape, in the public interest. The author presents a better way of understanding and responding to depression, based on what is actually there, rather than on fanciful notions of brain chemical notions that have never been demonstrated to exist. "

A New York Times best-selling call to arms from Nobel Prize–winning economist Paul Krugman. The Great Recession is more than four years old—and counting. Yet, as Paul Krugman points out in this powerful volley, "Nations rich in resources, talent, and knowledge—all the ingredients for prosperity and a decent standard of living for all—remain in a state of intense pain." How bad have things gotten? How did we get stuck in what now can only be called a depression? And above all, how do we free ourselves? Krugman pursues these questions with his characteristic lucidity and insight. He has a powerful message for anyone who has suffered over these past four years—a quick, strong recovery is just one step away, if our leaders can find the "intellectual clarity and political will" to end this depression now.

The author offers a look at depression in which he draws on his own battle with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, researchers, doctors, and others to assess the complexities of the disease, its causes and symptoms, and available therapies. This book examines depression in personal, cultural, and scientific terms. He confronts the challenge of defining the illness and describes the vast range of available medications, the efficacy of alternative treatments, and the impact the malady has on various demographic populations, around the world and throughout history. He also explores the thorny patch of moral and ethical questions posed by emerging biological explanations for mental illness. He takes readers on a journey into the most pervasive of family secrets and contributes to our understanding not only of mental illness but also of the human condition.

A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2021 A Next Big Idea Club Best Nonfiction of 2021 From the New York Times best-selling author and host of Hidden Brain comes a thought-provoking look at the role of self-deception in human flourishing. Self-deception does terrible harm to us, to our communities, and to the planet. But if it is so bad for us, why is it ubiquitous? In Useful Delusions, Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler argue that, paradoxically, self-deception can also play a vital role in our success and well-being. The lies we tell ourselves sustain our daily interactions with friends, lovers, and coworkers. They can explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, why some nations hold together while others splinter. Filled with powerful personal stories and drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Useful Delusions offers a fascinating tour of what it really means to be human.

"In The Chemical Imbalance Delusion, Berger presents a fresh and simplified navigational tool on a topic that is often overwhelming to those who have been told they have a chemical imbalance. This book is also a helpful resource for the caretakers, friends, families and others in a relationship with the impacted patient. For me, The Chemical Imbalance Delusion is a book I truly feel that anyone can pick up, read, and learn more about a subject we in the pharmaceutical industry are so passionate about, which is important. It has been my experience, that people who are told that their problems are caused by a chemical imbalance are left searching for answers, understanding, paths forward, help, and hope. This book serves as a well-presented guide and educational tool to help navigate such hardships and discover vital answers." - Katy Sorrells, CQA, Pharmaceutical Quality Engineer"The Nation and its mental disorders are controlled by psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies too often motivated by greed and maintained by pseudoscience. Millions of doses of poison are being sold and pushed on the public-though these chemicals are promoted as necessary medicines. Our only hope is to accept the truths being declared by people like Dr. Daniel Berger who beat the drum of truth loud enough for us to hear. Berger is a voice in the wilderness that must be heard, and this book, The Chemical Imbalance Delusion, needs to be read by everyone." - Joseph M. Cummins, DVM, PHD, Researcher and Pharmacologist"I am indebted to Dr. Berger for his exposé of the engineered deception of Big Pharma and its complicit professionals. I, too, was duped by the supposed pathophysiology of psychiatric disease based on the 'science' of neurotransmitter disequilibrium. While we have been able to quantify dysfunction in other organ symptoms, we as medical professionals and scientists have failed to do the same in the discipline of the mind and the brain. In The Chemical Imbalance Delusion, Dr. Berger has unraveled the morass of this deception steeped in the pursuit of profit and carried out in the name of pride. This information is integral to our care of the psyche/soul of our patients. He has shown that we can no longer, in good conscience, reach into our black box and judicially prescribe medicines that have no good evidence of efficacy and, in fact, cause significant harm to our patients." - Atam Abbi, MD "Dr. Berger's book is a great compilation of undeniable evidence that shows just how misleading the present standard of care is. We, as health care providers, canonly help people if we know and propagate the truth: the pill is NOT the solution. The mind must be renewed! It can be so harmful to take pills for decades and wrongly believe that medication melts away inner conflicts and/or fixes harmful or destructive behaviors. I am grateful to have read The Chemical Imbalance Delusion, as it clarifies so much of what I had suspected all these years; this discovery makes me enthusiastic, since it also encourages me to share my faith in the Lord who alone renews the mind." - Christina Biester, MD and Clinical Supervisor

Named one of the top health and wellness books for 2016 by MindBodyGreen Depression is not a disease. It is a symptom. Recent years have seen a shocking increase in antidepressant use the world over, with 1 in 4 women starting their day with medication. These drugs have steadily become the panacea for everything from grief, irritability, panic attacks, to insomnia, PMS, and stress. But the truth is, what women really need can’t be found at a pharmacy. According to Dr. Kelly Brogan, antidepressants not only overpromise and underdeliver, but their use may permanently disable the body’s self-healing potential. We need a new paradigm: The best way to heal the mind is to heal the whole body. In this groundbreaking, science-based and holistic approach, Dr. Brogan shatters the mythology conventional medicine has built around the causes and treatment of depression. Based on her expert interpretation of published medical findings, combined with years of experience from her clinical practice, Dr. Brogan illuminates the true cause of depression: it is not simply a chemical imbalance, but a lifestyle crisis that demands a reset. It is a signal that the interconnected systems in the body are out of balance – from blood sugar, to gut health, to thyroid function– and inflammation is at the root. A Mind of Your Own offers an achievable, step-by-step 30-day action plan—including powerful dietary interventions, targeted nutrient support, detoxification, sleep, and stress reframing techniques—women can use to heal their bodies, alleviate inflammation, and feel like themselves again without a single prescription. Bold, brave, and revolutionary, A Mind of Your Own takes readers on a journey of self-empowerment for radical transformation that goes far beyond symptom relief.

In Abolishing the Concept of Mental Illness: Rethinking the Nature of Our Woes, Richard Hallam takes aim at the very concept of mental illness, and explores new ways of thinking about and responding to psychological distress. Though the concept of mental illness has infiltrated everyday language, academic research, and public policy-making, there is very little evidence that woes are caused by somatic dysfunction. This timely book rebuts arguments put forward to defend the illness myth and traces historical sources of the mind/body debate. The author presents a balanced overview of the past utility and current disadvantages of employing a medical illness metaphor against the backdrop of current UK clinical practice. Insightful and easy to read, Abolishing the Concept of Mental Illness will appeal to all professionals and academics working in clinical psychology, as well as psychotherapists and other mental health practitioners.