Chapter 5.

Abstract

Three decades of research into the “chemical imbalance” theory of mental disorders failed to pan out. The biological causes of most mental disorders remain unknown. However, it is now well understood that psychiatric drugs work by perturbing neurotransmitter systems, and that the brain, in response to this blocking of normal function, undergoes a series of compensatory adaptations. The drugs could best be described as “chemical imbalancers,” and a comprehensive review of the outcomes literature reveals that their use increases the likelihood that a person will become chronically ill. The percentage of Americans disabled by mental illness has increased nearly sixfold since 1955, and is now increasing at the rate of more than 400 people per day. If psychiatry practiced evidence-based medicine, it would realize that its current paradigm of drug-based care does more harm than good, and seek alternative forms of therapy.