Researchers (including MIA blogger Brett Deacon) found that study subjects given “a bogus biological but credible test demonstrating their depressive symptoms to be caused, or not caused, by a chemical imbalance in the brain” were more pessimistic and self-blaming regarding their prognosis, and viewed pharmacotherapy as more credible and effective than psychotherapy. The authors conclude “the present findings add to a growing literature highlighting the unhelpful and potentially iatrogenic effects of attributing depressive symptoms to a chemical imbalance.”
Kemp, J., Lickel, J., Deacon, B.; Effects of a Chemical Imbalance Causal Explanation on Individuals’ Perceptions of Their Depressive Symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy. Online March 6, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2014.02.009
