--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And what science had revealed was this…" description: "\"“And what science had revealed was this: Prior to treatment, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, and other psychiatric disorders do not ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_and-what-science-had-revealed-was-this-p_2967591.jpg" --- # And what science had revealed was this: Prior to… ![“And what science had revealed was this: Prior to treatment, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, and other psychiatric disorders do not suffer from any known "chemical imbalance". However, once a person is put on a psychiatric medication, which, in one manner or another, throws a…” quote by Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_and-what-science-had-revealed-was-this-p_2967591.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_and-what-science-had-revealed-was-this-p_2967591.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_and-what-science-had-revealed-was-this-p_2967591.jpg) > ““And what science had revealed was this: Prior to treatment, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, and other psychiatric disorders do not suffer from any known "chemical imbalance". However, once a person is put on a psychiatric medication, which, in one manner or another, throws a wrench into the usual mechanics of a neuronal pathway, his or her brain begins to function, as Hyman observed, abnormally.”” [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Psychiatric drugs alter brain chemistry in ways that can be abnormal, challenging the notion of a simple chemical imbalance and raising concerns about treatment effects. **In simple terms:** Medications change brain function in complex ways. Key Takeaway Question medication impacts beyond symptom relief. Themes medicine psychiatry science ethics Mood cautious critical Type analytical ethical When to use this quote - clinical decision making - mental health policy Key Concepts neuropharmacology clinical practice patient care Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards should protect patients from adverse drug effects? - How can we better understand brain changes from medication? A Different Perspective Medication effects can be unpredictable and harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“Personally, I believe that love is merely a chemical imbalance that makes you forget your credit card limit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-turner/personally-i-believe-that-love-is-merely-a-chemical-imbalance-that/) [Dave Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-turner/) > [I have a chemical imbalance that, in its most extreme state, will lead me to a mental hospital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-have-a-chemical-imbalance-that-in-its-most-extreme-state-will-lead/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Eventually, if you're lucky in life, you find someone with the same chemical imbalance you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/eventually-if-you-re-lucky-in-life-you-find-someone-with-the-same/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“Whether people are besieged by a chemical imbalance or thrown into a panic or depression by a wrenching loss, their inconsistencies also belong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/whether-people-are-besieged-by-a-chemical-imbalance-or-thrown-into-a/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Happiness is a temporary chemical imbalance of the true state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-hayes/happiness-is-a-temporary-chemical-imbalance-of-the-true-state-of-mind/) [Drew Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-hayes/) > [There's a new science out called orthomolecular medicine. You correct the chemical imbalance with amino acids and vitamins and minerals that are naturally in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/there-s-a-new-science-out-called-orthomolecular-medicine-you-correct/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I had low blood sugar, a chemical imbalance, plus the normal nervous breakdown everyone goes through from adolescence to adulthood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/i-had-low-blood-sugar-a-chemical-imbalance-plus-the-normal-nervous/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [The one thing we do know is that the chemical imbalance theory - the theory that people get depressed when they don't have enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/the-one-thing-we-do-know-is-that-the-chemical-imbalance-theory-the/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [“I think you have a chemical imbalance in your brain that inhibits your ability to assess your surroundings. This same defect is common in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-scarlett/i-think-you-have-a-chemical-imbalance-in-your-brain-that-inhibits/) [Anna Scarlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-scarlett/) > [I have a great life, amazing family and friends, so it's easy for people to be like, 'What have you got to be sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-atack/i-have-a-great-life-amazing-family-and-friends-so-it-s-easy-for/) [Emily Atack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-atack/) > [There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-chemical-imbalance/) [Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/) > [You said love, I say chemical imbalance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kelsey/you-said-love-i-say-chemical-imbalance/) [Ian Kelsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kelsey/) > [“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it is not cured by medication. Depression may not even be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/depression-is-not-caused-by-a-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain-and-it/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [“...love is a chemical imbalance, too. That perilous highs and desperate lows and extravagant flurries of mood are not always symptoms of a broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/love-is-a-chemical-imbalance-too-that-perilous-highs-and-desperate/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) ## More by Robert Whitaker > [“The history of psychiatry and its treatments can be a contentious issue in our society, so much so that when you write about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-history-of-psychiatry-and-its-treatments-can-be-a-contentious/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“The off-drug patients also suffered less from depression, blunted emotions, and retarded movements. 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One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-cocktail-she-took-usually-included-a-mood-stabilizer-an/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“In the United States, people with depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia are losing twelve to twenty years in life expectancy compared to people not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/in-the-united-states-people-with-depression-bipolar-and-schizophrenia/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“The prescribing of stimulants to ADHD youth began to take off in the 1980s, and today, thirty years later, studies have failed to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-prescribing-of-stimulants-to-adhd-youth-began-to-take-off-in-the/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“That is where we stand as a nation today. 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It lives in the in-between of family members, and in the in-between of people," Salo explained. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/psychosis-does-not-live-in-the-head-it-lives-in-the-in-between-of/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) [Explore all 21 Robert Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) ## More Depression quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. 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Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“Why in depression" "If we are human, why not have the right to smile, Why in depression, young, and beautiful as earth, Why in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanilsa-pena/why-in-depression-if-we-are-human-why-not-have-the-right-to-smile-why/) Yanilsa pena > [“Depression makes me stronger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayamalan/depression-makes-me-stronger/) Shayamalan > [“Shorter believes that psychosomatic illnesses (such as leg paralysis at the turn of the twentieth century or multiple personality disorder at the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/shorter-believes-that-psychosomatic-illnesses-such-as-leg-paralysis/) [Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Repression will provoke rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-williamson/repression-will-provoke-rebellion/) Hugh Williamson > [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. 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