Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources
IntroductionAlthough the etiology of depression is incredibly complex, the narrative that it is caused by a simple “chemical imbalance” persists in lay settings. We sought to understand where people are exposed to this explanation (i.e., the “source”), and the relative influence of each source.Metho...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1469913/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841554367141904384 |
|---|---|
| author | Hans S. Schroder Jordyn Tovey Reni Forer William Schultz Elizabeth T. Kneeland Jason S. Moser |
| author_facet | Hans S. Schroder Jordyn Tovey Reni Forer William Schultz Elizabeth T. Kneeland Jason S. Moser |
| author_sort | Hans S. Schroder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionAlthough the etiology of depression is incredibly complex, the narrative that it is caused by a simple “chemical imbalance” persists in lay settings. We sought to understand where people are exposed to this explanation (i.e., the “source”), and the relative influence of each source.MethodsA total of 1,219 college students were asked where they had heard of the chemical imbalance explanation and how much they believed this to be true. Independent raters coded open-ended responses and we used self-report measures to capture chemical imbalance belief endorsement.ResultsThe most common sources of exposure to this explanation were the classroom, the Internet/media, other people (e.g., friends), and healthcare providers. In a regression analysis, only learning about the chemical imbalance explanation from healthcare providers uniquely predicted the adoption of the chemical imbalance belief. The correlation held even after controlling for depression symptoms, a family history of depression, and having had a diagnosis or treatment of mental health disorder (all of which also uniquely predicted chemical imbalance belief endorsement).DiscussionThese results suggest that healthcare providers play an important role in the dissemination of the chemical imbalance message, which is an oversimplified, scientifically controversial, and potentially treatment-interfering narrative. Interventions directed at healthcare providers may help them engage with more accurate messages. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e7533fee11254dfeb3f6d9a7b8746a3a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e7533fee11254dfeb3f6d9a7b8746a3a2025-01-08T14:16:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-01-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14699131469913Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sourcesHans S. Schroder0Jordyn Tovey1Reni Forer2William Schultz3Elizabeth T. Kneeland4Jason S. Moser5Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesWilliam Schultz Counseling, St. Paul, MN, United StatesAmherst College, Amherst, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United StatesIntroductionAlthough the etiology of depression is incredibly complex, the narrative that it is caused by a simple “chemical imbalance” persists in lay settings. We sought to understand where people are exposed to this explanation (i.e., the “source”), and the relative influence of each source.MethodsA total of 1,219 college students were asked where they had heard of the chemical imbalance explanation and how much they believed this to be true. Independent raters coded open-ended responses and we used self-report measures to capture chemical imbalance belief endorsement.ResultsThe most common sources of exposure to this explanation were the classroom, the Internet/media, other people (e.g., friends), and healthcare providers. In a regression analysis, only learning about the chemical imbalance explanation from healthcare providers uniquely predicted the adoption of the chemical imbalance belief. The correlation held even after controlling for depression symptoms, a family history of depression, and having had a diagnosis or treatment of mental health disorder (all of which also uniquely predicted chemical imbalance belief endorsement).DiscussionThese results suggest that healthcare providers play an important role in the dissemination of the chemical imbalance message, which is an oversimplified, scientifically controversial, and potentially treatment-interfering narrative. Interventions directed at healthcare providers may help them engage with more accurate messages.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1469913/fullchemical imbalanceetiological beliefsdepressiondoctor-patient communicationbeliefs |
| spellingShingle | Hans S. Schroder Jordyn Tovey Reni Forer William Schultz Elizabeth T. Kneeland Jason S. Moser Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources Frontiers in Psychology chemical imbalance etiological beliefs depression doctor-patient communication beliefs |
| title | Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources |
| title_full | Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources |
| title_fullStr | Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources |
| title_full_unstemmed | Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources |
| title_short | Where do “chemical imbalance” beliefs come from? Evaluating the impact of different sources |
| title_sort | where do chemical imbalance beliefs come from evaluating the impact of different sources |
| topic | chemical imbalance etiological beliefs depression doctor-patient communication beliefs |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1469913/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hanssschroder wheredochemicalimbalancebeliefscomefromevaluatingtheimpactofdifferentsources AT jordyntovey wheredochemicalimbalancebeliefscomefromevaluatingtheimpactofdifferentsources AT reniforer wheredochemicalimbalancebeliefscomefromevaluatingtheimpactofdifferentsources AT williamschultz wheredochemicalimbalancebeliefscomefromevaluatingtheimpactofdifferentsources AT elizabethtkneeland wheredochemicalimbalancebeliefscomefromevaluatingtheimpactofdifferentsources AT jasonsmoser wheredochemicalimbalancebeliefscomefromevaluatingtheimpactofdifferentsources |