For years, we’ve been led to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are the solution. But what if this widely accepted belief has been built on unreliable truths?

In July 2022 Prof. Joanna Moncrieff and her team published the 'Umberalla Review', disputing the role that serotonin played in depression, which caused controversy in the world of psychology and psychiatry. Many academics questioned the methodology and conclusions of the review and Joanna has now written a book laying out her claims, with compelling evidence. She argues that scientific understanding has been swayed by social and economic forces, leading to misconceptions that have shaped treatment decisions for millions. Joanna will take you on a thought-provoking journey through the history of the serotonin theory of depression, from its origins in the 1960s to its widespread acceptance in the 1990s.

JOANNA MONCRIEFF

Joanna is Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and a consultant psychiatrist for the NHS. She is an expert in the field, and in 2022 she was the lead author of a landmark study into the theory of serotonin and depression. She is a founder member and co-chairperson of the Critical Psychiatry Network, an influential network of psychiatrists and other doctors. She has written for The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Conversation, Literary Review, and has been interviewed for The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast and the Evening Standard’s Tech and Science Daily, amongst others.