Looking forward to taking part in the HTLGI festival in Kenwood House, London, Sept 20-21st. The line up of amazing scientists, thinkers & political figures including Brain Cox, Roger Penrose, Alastair Campbell, Diane Abbott etc. Tickets howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/lo...

Blog on the longstanding tendency to play down the dependence-inducing effects of psychiatric drugs, now playing out in two reviews that minimise antidepressant withdrawal effects based on flawed studies of short-term users www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/chem...

When Dr. Roussos-Ross pointed out the dangers of untreated depression, she left out the fact that antidepressants (ADs) have modest efficacy (as later pointed out by @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social ). Bc of the side effects, ADs are associated with a problematic harm-benefit ratio for the majority.

Excellent summary of the ongoing controversy about antidepressant withdrawal issues by @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/chem...

I was honoured to take part in the FDA's panel on the risks of SSRIs in pregnancy yesterday along with other experts @fda.gov. This is a huge issue with so many young women taking these drugs. I hope the UK and other countries will listen to the evidence presented www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nha...

It is worrying that leading psychiatrists have quoted the Henssler review regardless of these limitations (and the more recent Kalfas review) to reassure the public and called on the Royal College of Psychiatrists to weaken its advice on stopping antidepressants 4/n

Only 5 studies in the Henssler AD withdrawal review (not 18 as claimed) used a relevant measure of withdrawal. These find 55% of people reported withdrawal symptoms after stopping antidepressant 3/n

The vast majority of included studies in the Henssler AD withdrawal review were not designed to measure withdrawal and only recorded it incidentally among spontaneously reported ‘adverse events’. This is no basis for estimating prevalence 2/n

Remember the 2024 Henssler review claiming only 1 in 6 have antidepressant withdrawal symptoms & 1 in 30 severe symptoms? Here we show it was based on highly unreliable data & can't be used to assess withdrawal effects @ploederl.bsky.social @markhoro.bsky.social 1/n www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

'Psychiatrists have been accused of downplaying the risks of antidepressant withdrawal in a new study' www.thecanary.co/global/world...

Our rapid response in the BMJ highlights how the recent antidepressant withdrawal review confirms withdrawal effects with SSRIs and SNRIs but underestimates their significance due to relying on short-term trials and other methodological problems @ploederl.bsky.social www.bmj.com/content/390/...

Our rapid response to a summary of the new problematic antidepressant withdrawal study has been published, together with other interesting and important ones (e.g., by @markhoro.bsky.social ). @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social

Useful thread on this study

Useful thread critiquing the recent review of antidepressant withdrawal

Occurrence of a discontinuation syndrome in the 5-8 day discontinuation period, defined by Rosenbaum et al. as 4+ withdrawal symptoms: 60% sertraline, 66%paroxetine, and 14% fluoxetine (which can serve as control group). This conforms the ca. 50% occurrence, which was dismissed by Hayes 🤔

Also note that the SMD's for individual SSRI/SNRI's ranged between 0.39 and 0.68. In the study of Rosenbaum, where patients were on antidepressants much longer (average ca. 11 months), the increase in DESS symptoms after stopping meds was 6 and 8 for sertraline and paroxetine, respectively.

Besides the double standards, the main problem is that the result from the main analysis is based on short-term trials (ca 8w) except one 26w agomelatine trial. Not much withdrawal can be expected but was nonetheless observed - concerning! Most are on ADs much longer. Absurd conclusions!

Thread on our response to Ghaemi and how Ghaemi's article became more hostile and pejorative after peer review

I'm looking forward to talking about Chemically Imbalanced in Harrogate at #BerwinsSalonNorth tomorrow evening. Tickets available here: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/event/berwin... @harrogatefestivals.bsky.social

There’s no strong evidence of a chemical imbalance behind depression, yet antidepressants are still pushed to serve pharma profits and uphold psychiatry’s medical image. @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social's compelling interview. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcBu...

Liberation Psychology Gains Ground in a Fractured World As crises of displacement and inequality intensify, more scholars are turning to Liberation Psychology’s commitment to structural change. By Micah Ingle, PhD www.madinamerica.com/2025/06/libe...

I am looking forward to giving the Sowerby anniversary public lecture at the Philosophy and Medicine conference in London next Tuesday 3rd June at 4pm. The event is open to everyone, please come along. www.tickettailor.com/events/sower...

This data suggests use of antidepressants may be decreasing a bit in the US - not before time! psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...

I enjoyed my trip to the How The Light Gets In festival in Hay. My talk was packed out and there were was a good discussion. The festival was a great combination of serious debate and fun

Thought-provoking piece from our next Salon speaker @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social 

#biorisks - SSRI’s are *not ‘selective’, as they affect serotonin used throughout the whole nervous system and where it is used through the metabolic system. Biological system wide mind-body effects. This has been known by pharma research since mid-1950’s

People who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms compared to short-term users when they come off the medication, finds a new study led by Dr Mark Horowitz and Prof @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social @uclpsychiatry.bsky.social

I enjoyed speaking to Jeannette Hyde in this podcast. We cover the lack of studies on exactly what SSRIs do to the brain, emotional numbing and weight gain, and how exercise and social prescribing fit in thegutmakeover.substack.com/p/research-s...

I am excited to be appearing at the How The Light Gets In festival at Hay this weekend with other stellar guests including @yanisvaroufakis.bsky.social, @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social, @slavojiek.bsky.social, @sapinker.bsky.social and others. Tickets here: howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/ha...

🔔 NEW in the Medical Journal of Australia Antidepressant prescribing in Australian primary care: time to reevaluate ✍️ Katharine A Wallis, Anna King and Joanna Moncrieff buff.ly/6KQAiTe

This podcast critiques the dominant disease-based model of psychiatry, arguing that psychiatric diagnoses and treatments—especially the serotonin imbalance theory—lack scientific basis and have caused widespread harm. With @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social on @mad-in-america.bsky.social buff.ly/cGvS8tu

If you are in or around London next Wed, come along to my talk at 6.15pm at the Reconnect Club hosted by the inspiring @joetudor.bsky.social. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chemically...

"Yet, there is evidence from primary care that people are prescribed antidepressants when clinical guideline criteria are not met, more commonly women", write Katharine Wallis, @annaking1.bsky.social and @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social #Psysky #madsky

This is probably the best estimate we have for this condition so far

This paper is important. It suggests 13.2% of people experience post antidepressant sexual dysfunction (vs 0.9% for other drugs). The survey focused on other things so not likely to have attracted an unusually badly affected sample. Needs publicising pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39302425/

If you are in or around Swindon tomorrow, do come along to hear me talk about my new book, Chemically Imbalanced, at the Swindon literary festival trafalgartickets.com/swindon-arts...

I am looking forward to speaking about Chemically Imbalanced at my first book festival next week in Swindon. Tickets available here. trafalgartickets.com/swindon-arts...

Looking forward to this event

Interesting interview with @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social about her new book, the history of how we thought of depression in the past and now, and problems in current psychiatric practice www.madinamerica.com/2025/04/chem...

I really enjoyed this wide ranging conversation with Robert Whitaker about the state of psychiatry, past and present. I hope listeners will too! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AXH...

A study showing the dismal results of antidepressants. 'Millions of Americans are experiencing the side effects of antidepressants without improvement, trying multiple drugs, and becoming labelled as “treatment resistant” when the drugs don’t work' www.madinamerica.com/2025/04/half...

If anyone is reconsidering taking antidepressants after watching my @channel4news.bsky.social #WaysToChangeTheWorld podcast, this blog may be useful joannamoncrieff.com/2022/07/24/h...

You can now listen to my @channel4news.bsky.social #WaysToChangeTheWorld podcast on Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/60dX... and [email protected]

Glad to see this @channel4news.bsky.social podcast has sparked debate - as I have always said, I have no problem with people wanting to take antidepressants, but I want people to be properly informed about the evidence including on their harmful effects www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR_S...

The idea that depression is in the brain stops us fixing the social problems that cause it in the first place. Honoured to be interviewed by @krishgm.bsky.social on #WaysToChangeTheWorld. A tough conversation. #ChemicallyImbalanced #depression www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR_S...

Great essay on how 'mental disorders' are problems of personal and social relations and systems not of individuals www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/from...

My conversation with Dr Louise Bundock for Medicating Normal can now be viewed here. We discuss why the chemical imbalance myth got established and what its consequences have been, among other topics www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh0Y...

This important article highlights research that undermines the concept of ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder. It suggests ADHD symptoms are common and fluctuating personality traits & that stimulants do not improve performance www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/m...

RADAR trial data showed people recover to their baseline levels of function and symptoms after a relapse, suggesting the hypothesis that relapse is toxic to the brain is incorrect 1/2 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...