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Rethinking Serotonin And Depression: What SSRIs Really Do & What May Work Better
Do SSRIs help your brain?
SSRI medications are among the most widely prescribed antidepressants, but what if we’ve misunderstood how they work? In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with biochemist and nutrition scientist Dr. Chris Masterjohn to explore a deeper, more systemic view of mental health and how we treat it.
Dr. Masterjohn reveals why serotonin isn’t just a “mood booster,” how SSRIs may be disrupting mitochondrial function, and why focusing on lifestyle strategies that support brain energy metabolism could unlock new paths for treating depression.
🔍 What you’ll learn:
- Chris’s personal journey from veganism to carnivore
- The importance of testing for nutrient deficiencies
- How mitochondria influence mood and cognition
- Why SSRIs may disrupt brain energy metabolism
- The truth about serotonin and morning sunlight
- Why exercise & nutrition often outperform medication
- What SSRIs really do (and what they don’t)
If you've ever questioned the serotonin theory of depression, or sensed there’s more to the story than what mainstream medicine tells us, this conversation fills in some of the missing pieces.
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
👉 Subscribe to Metabolic Mind for more interviews, research, and updates in the field of metabolic psychiatry.
Expert Featured:
Dr. Chris Masterjohn
- https://www.chrismasterjohn-phd.com/
- https://substack.com/@chrismasterjohnphd
- https://x.com/ChrisMasterjohn
- https://www.facebook.com/chrismasterjohn/
- https://www.instagram.com/chrismasterjohn/
Resources Mentioned:
Substack: Prozac is a Performance Enhancing Drug
Mitome: Mitochondrial Analysis
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Published on 1 week ago