Mind the Science

Saving Your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry

By: Jonathan N. Stea

Narrated by: Jonathan N. Stea

A takedown of mental health misinformation and pseudoscience to educate and embolden listeners who wish to make informed decisions about their mental health.

According to some estimates, there are at least 600 different "brands" of psychotherapy, most of which are not supported by scientific research. There also exists countless unregulated providers of mental health services in the 5.6 trillion USD 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." In a landscape where mental health concerns are at a fever pitch and anyone can call themselves a "therapist" without a license, the world of mental healthcare is very much caveat emptor: buyer beware.

In Mind the Science, Jonathan N. Stea provides a takedown of mental health misinformation and pseudoscience to educate and embolden listeners who wish to make informed decisions about their mental health. Listeners are empowered to protect themselves from mental health scams, charlatanry, and poor or misguided health practices that thrive in the multi-trillion-dollar wellness industry. The book begins by acquainting listeners with the nature, evolution, and seduction of pseudoscience, coaching them on how to become science and mental health literate. Next, the book teaches listeners how to spot misinformation and propaganda, shining a light on various pseudoscientific practices, showing the psychological reasons that leave us vulnerable to believing misinformation, and helping listeners to develop a keen eye for the tactics and tropes that are used to push propaganda in the wellness and alternative medicine communities. The book concludes with strategies and solutions, showing the concepts and science behind evidence-based ways to improve mental health and teaches what to look for when seeking real professional help.

Mind the Science is the self-defense shield that we direly need to protect us against the onslaught of bogus mental health treatments and products that have increasingly flooded social media, popular media, and the business of healthcare itself. By the end, listeners will be better positioned to identify mental health misinformation, to steer clear of misguided and predatory practices, and to understand what mental health really means.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Jonathan N. Stea (P)2024 Audible, Inc.

Muck needed summary of pseudoscience in mental health care.

An Accessible summary of the problem of quackery in healthcare.
RFK Jr fans should take note.

Spectacular guide to finding misinformation

I loved how this book presents its step by step points on how to find yourself out of misinformation and pseudoscience without making you feel stupid.

Essential information

This is a must read. Dr Stea does a great job of breaking down how to use science literacy to protect yourself from holistic grifters. As someone who was on the fast path down the holistic rabbit hole (I was even a DoTerra rep at one point 😬), I was only saved by the little science literacy that I had at the time. This book really showed how easily it sneaks into the culture and how I need to remove even more things from my life.

Separates science from pseudoscience.

I highly recommend Mind the Science by Jonathan Stea. It is an important introduction to scientific literacy, critical thinking, and the dangers of pseudoscience as applied to the unregulated and wildly profitable mental health and wellness industry. The book reminded me of Carl Sagan's Demon-haunted World, though, Stea takes on pseudoscience in the mental health and wellness area. I certainly was not aware of how much pseudoscientific therapies and practices interfere with science-based ones. The book is scrupulously fair in following the best scientific evidence for health and wellness. Stea also shows you how to detect and guard against pseudoscientific claims. The book is written in a highly accessible manner. Stea narrates his own book, which is a bit of a hit and miss proposition. He has some strange pronunciations (to my American ear) and cadences, but is easy to understand and follow.