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.comCheck out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast