Chemical Imbalance?
“So next time you are told that a psychiatric condition is due to a brain-biochemical imbalance, ask if you can see the test results.” - Craig Newnes, Clinical Psychologist
Chemical imbalance is a psychiatric theory that has been taken on board without inspection and accepted as fact despite the complete lack of scientific evidence to support it, thus allowing the practice of stigmatising people with labels to go on.
The theory of a ‘chemical imbalance’ is nothing but opinion; it is not a fact.
A central reasoning behind psychiatric treatment is that the chemical structure of the brain affects each individual’s behaviour. It is reasoned that when someone shows abnormal behaviour, this can only be due to a chemical imbalance occurring in the brain. This is the sole justification for giving people psychiatric drugs and is also the foundation of a multi-billion pound drug industry.
Drugs can and do affect behaviour. We can observe and even experience this every day and while it cannot be denied that people do experience problems and upsets in life that may result in mental troubles, representing these conditions as being diseases or caused by a ‘chemical imbalance of the brain’ that can only be alleviated with drugs is dishonest and harmful.
