#HowDoYouKnow Survey April 24, 2015 by Do you believe depression is caused by a chemical imbalance? Yes No What do YOU believe causes depression? What source influences your opinion on this topic the most? make a selection…Antidepressant commercialsMy personal doctorFriends/FamilyOnline articlesSocial media postsMagazine articlesTV showsBooks If you believe depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, please check all things that would HAVE to happen for you to change your mind. “I would have to…” Hear it from my doctor See it on the news Watch a documentary Read more expert statements Hear it from a trusted friend/family member Read about it in a magazine Learn about it in school See more social media posts Nothing can change my mind N/A (I don’t think it is) Where do you go to get information about depression? (Please check all that apply.) My personal doctor My friends/family Social media National Institute of Mental Health website Wikipedia Blogs TV Books WebMD Other Prior to this week’s posts, were you aware that the chemical imbalance theory is an unconfirmed hypothesis? Yes No Do you think it would be responsible for doctors to prescribe insulin for diabetes without first testing blood sugar levels? Yes No Researchers from Harvard, Yale, Stanford and numerous universities – along with the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Editor in Chief Emeritus of Psychiatric Times and others – have spoken out against the chemical imbalance theory. There isn’t a single medical textbook that confirms its validity. If your personal doctor told you depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, would you trust him/her? Yes No I don’t know, I’d have to ask questions Would you ever consider asking your doctor “How do you know?” if he/she diagnosed you with depression and said it was caused by a chemical imbalance? Yes No Most antidepressants claim to correct a “chemical imbalance” that “may” cause depression. If you believed depression wasn’t caused by a chemical imbalance, would you still consider taking an antidepressant? Yes No On a scale of 1-10, how informed are you about alternative depression treatments (i.e., treatments other than antidepressants)? 1 = Not informed, 10 = Very informed If you accept (or, imagine if you accepted) that depression isn’t caused by a chemical imbalance: Do you still think antidepressants are an effective treatment option? Yes No Do you believe antidepressants are the best available treatment for depression? Yes No
