Most of us have been told that our problems are due to a "chemical imbalance", and that pharmaceuticals like Prozac will correct this deficiency and thus make us feel better.

A few months ago "Molecular Psychiatry" published a metastudy of serotonin's role in depression, and found no serotonergic abnormalities in depressives.

* Research on serotonin and its breakdown products in the blood and brain fluids found that the level of these chemicals was similar in people with and without depression.


* Research on serotonin receptors and the serotonin transporter, a protein targeted by many antidepressants, offered “weak and inconsistent” evidence that people with depression had higher levels of serotonin activity.


* Studies in which healthy people’s serotonin levels were artificially lowered through a special diet found that this did not increase their risk of developing

* Genetic studies found no difference in serotonin-related genes between people with depression and healthy participants. 

Some links: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/depression-may-not-be-linked-to-low-serotonin-new-analysis-finds

https://www.contemporaryclinic.com/view/researchers-find-no-evidence-that-depression-is-caused-by-low-serotonin

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2022/jul/no-evidence-depression-caused-low-serotonin-levels-finds-comprehensive-review