Brooke Siem
Author of MAY CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS, Food Network “Chopped” Champion, Unlikely speaker on psychiatric drug withdrawal
Brooke Siem was among the first generation of teens to be medicated with antidepressants. After spending half her life—and her entire adult life—on antidepressants, she wondered: Who might I be without them?
Six years after taking her last antidepressant and now fully healed from what was once assumed to be lifelong depression, Brooke’s mission is to share the story of what happened after she booked a one-way ticket to Malaysia and got off all the psychiatric drugs.
Unfurled against a global backdrop and her work as an award-winning chef, Brooke’s story chronicles explosive and terrifying antidepressant withdrawal and the fight to manage the modern mental health system, all while demanding hope and forgiveness in the name of healing.
as featured by
Out now.
May Cause Side Effects
Brooke’s memoir is now available to buy wherever books are sold.
This is a heart-rending and tender memoir that will start conversations we urgently need to have. It’s moving and important.
Johann Hari, author of New York Times bestseller Chasing the Scream and international bestseller Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression—and the Unexpected Solutions
Other Work
More about Brooke
Other Work
Chef to Pro Athletes & CPG Consultant
In addition to her work in antidepressant withdrawal education, Brooke is an award-winning chef specializing custom meal planning & preparation for professional athletes. She is also the co-author of the cookbook, Prohibition Bakery, a Zagat 30 Under 30 honoree, and her food writing has been featured in EatingWell Magazine, Esquire, Tasting Table, and more.
For more information on her culinary work and availability, please click here.
Other Work
The Fuckit Bucket™
Ever the entrepreneur and delighted by the phrase “Sometimes you have to chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on,” Brooke decided she wanted a little bucket charm to carry around that would help remind her to lighten up.
It didn’t exist. So she made one!
Latest articles from the blog
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July 9, 2025
How World War II, cigarette companies, and an obscure 1937 law determine what you put in your mouth today: A Short History of the Sad, Modern American Diet.
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July 2, 2025
“What do all fat, sick, unhealthy people have in common? At least this: they all eat.: An introduction to a new series about diet, psychiatric drug withdrawal, and performance.
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June 25, 2025
Bad Medicine, Antidepressant Withdrawal, and the Incalculable Costs of Medicating Normal: My full talk at the University of Nevada, Reno Medical School
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June 18, 2025