Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance
A study published in July 2022 in Molecular Psychiatry, a Nature group journal, confirms that depression is not caused by low serotonin levels but by traumatic or stressful events in a person’s life.
This is a very robust piece of work, an umbrella review (a review of reviews) carried out by the research group of Professor Joanna Moncrieff, Professor of Psychiatry at University College London. In an interview with the Telegraph, she said she believes it can be stated with confidence that, after a vast amount of research conducted over several decades, there is no convincing evidence that depression is caused by serotonin abnormalities, particularly by low levels or reduced activity.
“Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance”
The study’s authors stress that further studies will be needed to determine the best way to manage the drug therapies currently prescribed for depression, but they encourage people with this condition to seek psychotherapeutic support.
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