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Therapy in a Nutshell

Wait, What?! Depression is Not Caused by A Chemical Imbalance?

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8658 Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2022

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Here is the link to my "Change Your Brain" course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co... Despite 85-90% of people believing that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, there is no evidence that a chemical imbalance causes depression or is associated with depression. A new meta-analysis by the University College London reviewed the evidence and made headlines this week. Check out my two unlisted videos on what causes depression: https://youtu.be/Tr1sOJn8Z1Y https://youtu.be/EmCkBCZdZ7M Check out two videos by other creators on what causes depression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fid1L... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAC9O... University College London's review that indicates there is no evidence for the low-serotonin hypothesis that a chemical imbalance causes depression: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4138... Researchers have known for over a decade that there is no evidence for the chemical imbalance : Johan Hari, Lost connections, the inflamed mind, "reducing the stigma but at what cost" https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1..., https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-0... Do antidepressants work to treat depression: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB... Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanuts... Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co... Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut... Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes... Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c... If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome back to another episode of the Therapy in a Nutshell podcast. I'm Emma McAdam and I'm a licensed

0:05.3

marriage and family therapist. And this podcast is all about taking the life-changing, but usually

0:11.3

kind of complicated topics of therapy and boiling them down into simple, easy-to-understand concepts that

0:18.0

you can use in your daily life. If you find today's episode is

0:21.4

helpful to you, please pass it on to someone else who could benefit from it as well. Each

0:25.9

podcast episode comes from a corresponding video you can find on the Therapy in a

0:30.1

nutshell YouTube channel. Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice

0:35.2

or direction you may be receiving from a therapist or other health professionals.

0:39.3

Now please enjoy the episode.

0:41.3

A chemical imbalance is not the cause of depression.

0:46.3

We have been systematically misinformed about what depression and anxiety are.

0:52.3

So this is the main idea behind Johann Hari's best-selling book, Lost

0:57.3

Connections. And I recently finished it, and even though I didn't completely agree with his

1:02.8

conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed his detailed, evidence-based tear down of the overly simplistic

1:10.0

idea that a chemical imbalance causes depression.

1:13.6

Now, before you start throwing tomatoes at me as being a hater, let me back up, right?

1:18.6

Depression is not your fault. And biology, including brain biology and brain chemistry, absolutely plays a role in depression.

1:25.6

Like, don't stop taking your meds,

1:28.1

work with your healthcare professionals,

1:30.1

to find a really robust treatment plan for yourself.

1:34.2

But in this video, we're gonna explore a much more nuanced approach

1:38.1

to the complex causes of depression

...

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