#414: Depression and the Myth of Chemical Imbalance With Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring

The Patrick Coffin Show | Interviews with influencers | Commentary about culture | Tools for transformation

Patrick Coffin

Catholicanswers, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Culture, Society & Culture, Commentary, Americanculture, Catholic, Conservative, Podcast, Christian

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of The Patrick Coffin Show, Patrick sits down with Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, a board-certified psychiatrist, former FDA Medical Officer, and owner of the world's largest psychiatric drug tapering program.

Dr. Josef, as he is known, has spent years on the front lines of mental health treatment. IN this candid interview, he pulls back the curtain on some of the biggest myths in modern psychiatry and points the way toward authentic, humane approaches to depression, anxiety, and other challenges of the human condition.

🔹 What you’ll learn in this episode:

The little-known history of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)—how it was created, who wrote it, and why its categories are not always grounded in objective science.

Why the widely promoted “chemical imbalance” theory of depression has no scientific evidence behind it, despite being used for decades to sell billions of dollars in psychiatric drugs.

The story of how he and his doctor wife Dr. Marissa launched the Taper Clinic (http://www.taperclinic.com ) to help people safely reduce and come off toxic psychiatric medications.

The real roots of depression and anxiety, and why they are best understood as human and spiritual struggles—not permanent brain defects.

Best practices for addressing life’s problems—grief, trauma, fear, loneliness—without resorting to psychiatric drugs that often do more harm than good.

How faith, community, and virtue can provide the kind of healing and stability Big Pharma simply cannot.

Patrick and Dr. Josef also explore the cultural forces that keep people medicated, the courage it takes to question the “standard of care,” and practical steps for anyone looking for freedom from the psychiatric treadmill.

👉 Join the Movement: If you’re tired of the lies of our culture and want to connect with a community that seeks truth, clarity, and courage, join Patrick’s online community True North at www.patrickcoffin.media.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to this episode of the Patrick Coffin Show, brought to you by my very own community. It's called
0:04.6	the True North Community. We talk about sanity and sanctity and the things that matter in this life
0:10.0	and the next. We talk about culture and faith and evangelization, but mostly we talk about what's the next
0:16.1	right step to do in your life. And today we're going to talk about mental illness, the definition of
0:20.6	mental health, and some of the hazards of psychotropic drugs. I've hit this topic before with
0:26.4	my good friend and mentor, Dr. Peter Bragan, and I'm looking forward to diving deep with my guest.
0:32.9	Go to patrickoffen.comfant. Media to find out more about True North than about everything else
0:36.4	that I do. Blog there, merch, pilgrimage, much else besides patrickoffin.Media to find out more about True North than about everything else that I do. Blog there, merch, pilgrimage, much else besides Patrickoffin.
0:41.3	My guest for this episode is Dr. Joseph Witt During.
0:45.6	He is a board-certified psychiatrist, an expert in the side effects and the procedures of withdrawal from psychotropic drugs.
0:53.8	I've been following him for a couple of years now. His content is excellent, and I'm so withdrawal from psychotropic drugs. I've been following him
0:54.5	for a couple of years now. His content is excellent, and I'm so happy to he's joined us. Thanks for
0:58.5	coming on. Patrick, I'm delighted to be here. Tell me about, if we can hit the rewind button
1:04.4	a little bit, did you always want to help people when you were a kid? Is this the seat of your
1:09.0	calling as a physician and psychiatrist? Did that
1:12.3	begin early on or did you kind of come late to the game? I wanted to help myself, is the honest
1:18.0	answer. And so I became, I was always really interested in self-help and philosophy and psychology.
1:27.0	I just naturally gravitated to it while I was
1:29.3	growing up. Those were the kinds of books I like to read. And really, it was just for normal teenage
1:35.9	stuff, you know, how to get a girlfriend, you know, how to find out, you know, the type of job that
1:40.8	you want to have, you know, how to live with purpose. And so there was always
1:47.7	this natural drawer and it became a big passion of mine. And I, you know, it's it's kind of funny.
	...

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