E185 | How Psychiatry Became Fixated on Chemical Imbalance (w/ Prof. Justin Garson)

What if one of psychiatry’s most influential ideas began with LSD, amphetamines and a handful of experiments that would be difficult to imagine today?

In this episode, Dr. Alex speaks with philosophy Professor Justin Garson about his new book, The Madness Pill: One Doctor’s Quest to Understand Schizophrenia. They explore the remarkable story of neuroscientist Solomon Snyder, whose work helped establish the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia and contributed to psychiatry’s shift towards a more biomedical understanding of mental illness.

The conversation also asks a broader question: if mental illness is more complex than one faulty brain mechanism, what would a genuinely holistic model of psychiatric care look like?

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

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