Scott explores how antibiotics and antiprotozoal drugs unexpectedly affect mental health, suggesting that random chemicals may frequently influence mental processes. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses how antibiotics and antiprotozoal drugs can have unexpected psychiatric effects, using examples like suramin for autism, minocycline for schizophrenia, iproniazid for depression, and cycloserine for anxiety disorders. He argues that this phenomenon suggests random chemicals may often affect mental processes, implying that base rates for psychiatric effects of drugs might be higher than commonly assumed. The post starts with recent research on suramin, moves through historical examples, and concludes with reflections on the implications for drug discovery and toxicity claims in psychiatry. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander speculates about mental feedback loops, their relation to various disorders, and how increased self-awareness might accidentally worsen them. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of mental feedback loops, where emotions or thoughts can spiral out of control. He discusses how the brain usually prevents this, but sometimes fails, leading to conditions like OCD and anxiety disorders. He speculates that making people more aware of their mental states might accidentally increase these loops. The post then connects this idea to serotonergic drugs and their effects on thought patterns, ending with some admittedly speculative ideas about how LSD might affect mental 'loop sizes'. Shorter summary