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 healthcare 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.

Jonathan N. Stea's profile page

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.

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

"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, American Medical Association’s Scientific Achievement Award recipient and author of The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning

"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 must-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