Depression, Chemical Imbalances, and Feminism

Academic and popular audiences have long thought that a “chemical imbalance” is a cause of depression. However, evidence strongly suggests this is not the case. Not only is there little evidence that a chemical imbalance causes depression, but isolating the causes of depression within the biology of individuals marginalizes the importance of psychological and social contributions to individuals’ and families experience of distress. The following review examines the history and evidence of the chemical imbalance hypothesis of depression and then suggests that feminist-informed theories of depression more comprehensively explain depression while avoiding marginalization of psychological and social factors.