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Health & Fitness Mental Health

Mind the Science

Saving your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry

by (author) Jonathan N. Stea

Publisher
Random House of Canada
Initial publish date
Sep 2024
Category
Mental Health, Media Studies, Mental Health
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781039008236
    Publish Date
    Sep 2024
    List Price
    $35.00

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Description

A clinical psychologist who regularly deals with some of society's most vulnerable exposes and debunks the predatory pseudoscience and grift of the multi-trillion-dollar wellness industry and points us towards a better way to take care of our mental health.

Can the unbroken gaze of a lone man on a stage in front of hundreds of people truly alleviate their mental distress? Can Berlin Wall pills or a coffee enema cure depression? Can we improve our mental health with past-life regression therapy, cold-water shock therapy, rebirthing therapy? Wellness grifters and alternative-health snake oil salesmen are everywhere these days, and when our medical systems are under stress (and we are, too!) these costly purveyors of false hope are worse than a waste of money—they can lead us to delay badly needed care from real professionals, exacerbate our conditions and, in the most tragic of cases, even kill us.
Today, people looking to care for their mental health face a market with at least 600 “brands” of psychotherapy—and counting. Most are ineffective, and many could be harmful. There exist countless unregulated providers of mental health services in the $5.6 trillion USD wellness industry and alternative medicine community looking to exploit people’s financial and emotional vulnerabilities. The world of mental health care is very much caveat emptor: buyer beware.
Having seen so many of his patients hurt by the pseudoscience circulating in the industry, Dr. Jonathan N. Stea is on a mission to expose its harm and protect the public from mental health misinformation. In a landscape of rampant burnout and at a time when mental health concerns are at a fever pitch, Mind the Science provides hope and real information to those who have been touched by mental illness, have been misled by false marketing, or are simply curious about the relationship between science and mental health.

About the author

Contributor Notes

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea is a full-time practicing clinical psychologist and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary. He’s a two-time winner of the University of Calgary’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Supervision and co-editor of the book Investigating Clinical Psychology: Pseudoscience, Fringe Science, and Controversies. Dr. Stea has published extensively, with regular contributions to Scientific American and Psychology Today, among other outlets, and has appeared on numerous mainstream television and radio shows, as well as podcasts. He was the 2022 recipient of the John G. Paterson Award from the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, an annual award presented for the exceptional contribution to portraying psychological knowledge to the public.

Excerpt: Mind the Science: Saving your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry (by (author) Jonathan N. Stea)

Chapter One: The Evolution and Seduction of Pseudoscience

In 2018, millions of subscribers to Goop—Gwyneth Paltrow’s $250 million natural lifestyle company—were introduced to a new promoted product: the $135 Implant O-Rama, a do-it-yourself coffee enema device. The product’s website claimed that coffee enemas “can mean relief from depression, confusion, general nervous tension, many allergy related symptoms, and most importantly, relief from severe pain.” The company told its consumers: “Ask not what your colon can do for you, but rather, what you can do for your colon.” Coffee enemas were even endorsed on Goop by seemingly respectable physicians: namely, a cardiologist, Alejandro Junger, identified as an “adrenal fatigue expert,” and “holistic psychiatrist” Kelly Brogan in her New York Times bestseller, A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives.

What’s the problem? Well, it turns out that shooting coffee up your bum will not help with depression or any other health concern. Coffee enemas have a long history in the alternative medicine community despite their lack of credible evidence. They were first introduced as a part of the Gerson Therapy, which was developed by a physician, Max Gerson, in the 1930s for the treatment of degenerative diseases, including cancer. Modern proponents of the therapy still claim that coffee enemas work by helping with liver and in­testinal detoxification. The scientific reality is that there is no medical theory or body of research supporting the use of coffee enemas, and in fact they can be quite dangerous and result in burns, inflammation, bacteria in the blood­stream, and even death.

Goop subscribers who purchased Kelly Brogan’s book about depression were introduced to even more products, services, and “natural treatments for whole- body wellness” beyond coffee enemas. They were told in Brogan’s book that a laundry list of supplements was critical to their health and that “un­less you are growing your own organic food in a bubble hermetically sealed from the ravages of the modern industrial world, strategic supplementation is almost always going to help you get better and stay better.” They were recommended to doubt whether the scientific construct of depression was even real and were warned about the purported dangers of antidepressant medication, Advil, Lipitor, Prilosec, fluoride, fragrances, genetically mod­ified foods (GMOs), antibiotics, vaccines, and birth control pills. In short, they were sold a cornucopia of misinformation.

There exists little evidence to support the vast majority of Brogan’s claims. For example, in the American Psychological Association’s official clin­ical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression—which were de­veloped by health professionals from psychology, psychiatry, and primary care, as well as community members who self-identified as having had depression—it’s recommended that depression be treated with evidence-based psychotherapies and antidepressants. After reviewing the science, the guidelines don’t recommend anything resembling Brogan’s unnecessary and expensive testing and supplementing or dietary plan. And of course, there’s no mention of coffee enemas.

* * *

I’m a full-time practicing clinical psychologist, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary, researcher, and science communicator, and during the last several years I’ve cultivated social media in my quest to call out the questionable practices of grifters, such as those peddled by Goop and Kelly Brogan. A brief definition of grifters: A grifter is a swindler. A charlatan. A fake. A snake oil salesman like Clark Stanley, who sold “snake oil liniment” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a cure-all for various health conditions— incidentally, it didn’t work, and it didn’t even contain actual snake oil. A grifter is a person that preys upon the financial and emotional vulnerabilities and health of people to make a profit. Money aside, their motivations can be manifold. Self-deception is certainly one of them, as many even buy into their own pseudo-profound bullshit (believe it or not, that’s actually a science term). At the end of the day, regardless of their intentions—even if they believe they’re doing the right thing—grifters worsen health outcomes. They sell fake cures, pseu­doscience, and false hope—and that’s a real problem for anyone needing as­sistance with mental health or illness.

* * *

Imagine that you’re a patient who is experiencing depressive symptoms and other mental health concerns. You feel tired all the time, unmotivated, anxious, and empty. Your appetite is low. You don’t know what’s wrong; you just know that you’re in psychic pain. You want help. You figure that the first step is to get a diagnosis. Your friend tells you that they stumbled upon a great “integrative medicine” clinic on the internet when searching for a massage therapist. The website says that they have a psychologist and a naturopath and that they believe in a “holistic” approach that treats the whole person and the “root cause” rather than “masking the symptoms.” You think that sounds reasonable. So you book an appointment. You meet with the psychologist. They are inviting and friendly and use fancy psy­chological terms when explaining how they can help you. So you go for it and agree to the assessment. You aren’t familiar with the tests, but they say they’re using a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and a Rorschach inkblot. You think you might remember those names from movies you’ve seen but aren’t quite sure. They conduct a 2-hour interview with you and ask you about your upbringing. You then see the naturopath, who also asks you about your childhood, as well as your diet. Together, they diagnose you with “adrenal fatigue.” They offer you “energy medicine”—specifically, Reiki—to help “balance your energies.” And they sell you some homeo­pathic remedies to help with your tiredness and low appetite. You don’t know it just yet—and they might not know it either—but you’ve just been conned. Adrenal fatigue is a fake diagnosis. It doesn’t exist as a recognized medical condition. And both energy medicine and homeopathy are un­equivocally pseudoscience: We would literally have to violate the laws of physics for them to work.

As a clinical psychologist, I have encountered many patients who received pseudoscientific assessments and treatments for their addiction and mental health concerns. The tidal wave of pseudoscientific mental health practices originates both within and outside of the mental health professions. The global health and wellness industry has an estimated value of over $5.6 trillion, which includes legitimate sources of health—such as club memberships and exercise classes—as well as alternative medicine products and services that purport to improve health, based on baseless or exaggerated claims and ques­tionable evidence of safety and effectiveness. In the world of mental health care, scientists have estimated that there are at least 600 “brands” of psycho­therapy, an unreasonably and quickly growing number. Beyond that world exist countless unregulated providers of mental health–related services in the wellness industry and alternative medicine community who market them­selves as “life coaches,” “wellness consultants,” and— depending on particular countries and jurisdictions—other various non–legally protected titles, such as “therapists,” “psychotherapists,” “counselors,” and “practitioners.”

Snake oil salesmen, then, in the spirit of Clark Stanley, never went away. The debate about what constitutes pseudoscience is as old as science itself. At least as old as Aristotle, the philosophy of science as a discipline of study rose to the fore in the 19th and 20th centuries, as scientists made tremendous advances in fields as diverse as genetics, geology, physics, and health. It was during this time that many individuals, groups, and theories were accused of being pseudoscientific, such as astrology, creationism, and believers in the paranormal.

Historically, the world of mental health has had its own accusations of pseudoscience, notably in the cases of phrenology, an attempt to un­derstand mental life by linking personality traits with skull shape, and Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, an attempt to treat mental illness based on Freud’s theories of the mind. While phrenology perished in the sands of time, psychoanalysis survived by eventually morphing into a modern evidence-based treatment approach called psychodynamic therapy. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Franz Anton Mesmer gained many followers by “mesmerizing” and claiming to heal by aligning magnetic forces, a practice that was a precursor to modern hypnosis. The field of psychiatry fared no better with its claims of treating mental illness with spinning chairs, bloodletting, leeching, prefrontal lobotomies, casket-like Utica cribs, hot and cold baths, purging, blistering, dental removal, mer­cury dosing, and many other treatments, which are now recognized as useless or harmful.

Pseudoscience is a nebulous term. In short, it is a hijacked and failed attempt at science. But that definition doesn’t quite capture its complexity. The first thing to understand about differentiating science from pseudosci­ence is that there is no single, clear criterion that tells one from the other. Nor is there a single person who can make that call. This problem—of trying to figure out whether a particular discipline, treatment, assessment tool, or research program falls under the purview of pseudoscience—is known in science as the “demarcation problem.” In other words, where do we demarcate, or draw the line between, science and pseudoscience? While philosophers of science have been wrestling with the demarcation problem for centuries, I find it useful to understand pseudoscience as best identified by a cluster of warning signs, such that science differs from pseudoscience in degree rather than in kind. I’ll introduce you to these warning signs in Chapter 5.

Scott O. Lilienfeld was a modern giant in the field of clinical psychological science and devoted much of his career to elucidating and exposing pseudo­scientific practices in the field of psychology. He and his colleagues offered a metaphor for anyone stumped by the demarcation problem. They compared the distinction between science and pseudoscience to the boundary between day and night: The fact that the precise boundary is unclear does not imply that the two cannot be meaningfully differentiated.

No one grows up dreaming of becoming a pseudoscientist, and no one wants to be labeled one either. The truth is that the label itself matters much less than the reasons why something might be considered pseudoscien­tific. Instances of unequivocal pseudoscience serve as a distorted mirror warning against what not to do scientifically. In other cases, that gray zone in which we’re left to decide whether pseudoscience has reared its decep­tive head is supposed to be muddy—but it gives us cause to pause, and to proceed with caution when critically thinking about claims related to mental health.

Editorial Reviews

“A no-holds-barred critique of the wellness industry’s pervasive and pernicious influence on mental health care. . . . Stea’s writing style is engaging, marked by empathy and humor, and he makes complex concepts digestible. . . . For general readers looking to navigate the confusing landscape of mental health advice, protect themselves and their loved ones from the exploitative tactics, and recognize the snake oil salesmen of our age, they cannot go wrong with Mind the Science.” —Psychiatric Times

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MIND THE SCIENCE:

"Witty, fun, timely, and, most important, science-informed, Dr. Jonathan N. Stea’s new book, Mind the Science, is more than just a thorough debunk of the boatload of health BS that circulates in popular culture. It has a much-needed focus on mental health misinformation, which he handles—by drawing on both the best available evidence and his professional clinical experience—with empathy and humor. This book is for everyone, including healthcare professionals, patients, and anyone looking for an antidote to all the pseudoscientific nonsense that pollutes our information ecosystem!" —Timothy Caulfield, Order of Canada recipient and author of Relax: A Guide to Everyday Health Decisions with More Facts and Less Worry
"A fascinating, comprehensive, and eye-opening read on the barrage of mental health misinformation flooding us these days. Stea not only explains how to spot pseudoscience in a clear, digestible manner, but also offers fascinating anecdotes and historic examples that bring the issues to life. If anyone has ever been curious about what works and what doesn't, Mind the Science breaks it all down in an entertaining, approachable read that will leave you armed against predatory propaganda. This is a smart, empathetic manual that will help you navigate the often confusing and murky field of mental health." —Rina Raphael, journalist and author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care
“Stea has been battling against mental health misinformation and educating people on social media for years. Now he has pulled together his breadth of knowledge, education and experience to reveal how extensively the “wellness industry” exploits people at their most vulnerable. It’s not just supplements or unapproved drugs that pose danger. Stea explains how spurious “psychotherapy” methods can be just as insidious, and he describes the red flags—tropes and tactics used by charlatans—that people can watch for to avoid being seduced by scams. This book is an essential tool for anyone wanting to inoculate themselves against the snake oil salesmen willing to trade people’s mental health to fill their pockets or needing to learn strategies to protect the ones they love.” —Tara Haelle, author of Vaccination Investigation and The Informed Parent

"Dr. Stea courageously does a deep dive looking at the component of the wellness industry committed to mental health. He uses his years of training as a renowned clinical psychologist to expose the harmful or illicit practices of the mental wellness empire, and hopefully preventing it from continuing to expand and globalize." —Dr. Peter Hotez, author of The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science and one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in health in 2024
"A practical, plain-spoken, empathetic guide to mental health care, and to how pseudoscience and misinformation can keep people from getting the treatment and help they deserve. By identifying common ways that grifters prey on those seeking to improve their mental health, Stea will, hopefully, keep a few more people out of their snares." —Anna Merlan, author of Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power

"In this well-written and entertaining book Dr. Jonathan N. Stea exposes the plethora of intensely promoted treatment options for people suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders that have no scientific basis whatsoever and may actually be harmful. More importantly the reader will learn to distinguish between these pseudo-scientific interventions and more evidence-based psychological and medical treatments. It would be important for anyone considering treatment for behavioral or emotional difficulties to first consult this guidebook." —Dr. David Barlow, former president of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association and author of over 90 books

"Stea provides a powerful critique of the wide range of pseudoscientific treatments being touted for mental health problems while at the same time offering important lessons about science and psychopathology. I strongly recommend this book as essential reading for all, and especially for anyone facing mental health difficulties." —Dr. James Alcock, Professor of Psychology at York University and author of Belief: What it Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling
"Mind the Science is a much-needed salve for our society’s obsession with ‘wellness.’ Not only does Stea educate us about mental health and science, he deftly uses his vast knowledge and experience as a psychologist to explain why pseudoscience exists, why we fall for it, and how we can avoid it.” —Abby Langer, RD, author of Good Food, Bad Diet: The Habits You Need to Ditch Diet Culture, Lose Weight, and Fix Your Relationship With Food Forever
"As a public science communicator and clinical psychologist myself, I can say without equivocation that Dr. Stea's Mind the Science should be required reading for anyone with a brain. The modern landscape of pseudo-psychology and unlicensed, unethical social media therapizing is a landmine for even the savviest healthcare consumer. This book will arm you with the skills you need to sniff out the bullshit and protect yourself from harmful mental health practices. There are so many effective, evidence-based approaches available. This book will improve your ability to separate fact from fiction and empower you to find help that actually, well, helps." —Dr. Cara Santa Maria, Los Angeles Area Emmy and Knight Foundation award winning journalist and co-author of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake
"Mind the Science is a breath of fresh air in the genre of books on mental health aimed at a general audience in that, unlike a depressing number of them that actually embrace dubious and pseudoscientific concepts about psychiatry and mental health, seeks to provide the reader with the tools to recognize and avoid the copious nonsense (e.g., past life regression therapy) that is out there, often peddled by influencers, celebrities, and even rough professionals. Overall, this is a primer on mental health bunk and how to avoid it in favor of science-based information and treatments." —Dr. David Gorski, Managing Editor of Science-Based Medicine

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