It’s NOT a Chemical Imbalance
An interview with Dr. Kristen Syme on the situational and cultural impacts on depression. Curt and Katie talk with Dr. Syme about the role anthropology can play in helping to challenge long held assumptions in psychology. We look at conceptualizations for depression and suicidality and how the over focus (in the Western world) on the individual as the agent for mental health and wellness. We talk about how the chemical imbalance model doesn’t hold up as well as better explanations for depression and suicidality.
In this episode we talk about:
Syme’s research and how she is working to challenging assumptions
The lack of attention on networks and systems and an over-focus on “the self” as an agent for mental health and wellness
How psychological pain is signaling us that there are things in our environment that are unhealthy for us
Depression and psychological pain are not just within us, but also around us
What is wrong with the idea of “chemical imbalance” model
Adversity causes depression
The problem of saying “there’s a pill for that”
The work case for depression research
Ethical issues related to medicating away depression or psychological pain
How non-western cultures address psychological pain
There is “not a direct translation for depression in any other language” – Kristen Syme
The internal idea of the imbalance of black bile that leads directly through the ages to the concept of imbalance of serotonin
How other cultures talk about depression and situations, with more refined, specific language
How our language creates our reality around depression and how broadly we define it
How common depression (as broadly defined) is in the modern world
The lack of evidence for a “chemical imbalance”
How big pharma has impacted the conceptualization of depression
The inadequacy of treatment based on this conceptualization
The causes of suicidality: sexual assault, forced marriages, abuse
The problem of trivializing “seeking attention”
The tendency of coming up with “the theory”
Looking at how people might be better served by the mental health system
The importance of creativity and novelty in identifying better treatment
Resources mentioned:
We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!
Article: Mental health is biological health: Why tackling “diseases of the mind” is an imperative for biological anthropology in the 21st century
Dr. Kristen Syme on Twitter
Dr. Kristen Syme on Google Scholar
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Burnout or Depression
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Credits:
Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/
