Early in his career, Professor Edward Bullmore, Head of Psychiatry, suffered an infected tooth. During his recovery, Edward felt uncharacteristically depressed. Was he down just because he was dwelling on the misfortune of his sore tooth? Or perhaps – perhaps he was depressed as a direct result of his physical infection. Was his depression actually emerging in his body as it fought the contamination? His idea was heresy within his medical community. As Descartes taught us, the mind is the mind, and the body is the body.

In this episode with Professor Bullmore, now Head of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, we talk:
– The mechanics of how inflammation can cause depression
– Why the drugs industry has stalled on new mental drugs
– The exciting potential for a new class of mental health drugs
– Losing the distinction of ‘mental’ health. Is it just health?

Links: The Inflamed Mind

Being Human is brought to you by FirstHuman. Click here for more on our offerings.