A new study points to antidepressants being for the most part unproductive in treating people who suffer from depression. The authors of the study say depressed patients can improve their symptoms without chemical treatments such as Prozac or Seroxat.

 

The study involved a breakthrough analysis of Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) and found that best-selling antidepressants are not in fact more effective than placebos. Researchers involved in the study at the University of Hull say antidepressants "have no clinically significant effects in all cases apart from a small group of the most severely depressed patients."
 

This means that chemical treatments are not key, not even necessary, to improving the state of depressed people.

 

The study is profound and unique in that it incorporates data not previously released by drug companies, which was obtained through American freedom of information laws. The researchers found both published and unpublished studies, allowing them to cull data from all clinical trials, as opposed to simply relying on published studies which may be biased and selective in their data due to sponsoring parties.

 

The report implies that people who suffer from depression may feel better after taking antidepressants simply because they believe they are taking something effective.

 

One of the researchers noted, "There seems little reason to prescribe antidepressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed to provide a benefit."

 

Despite their widespread popularity, antidepressants have their share of controversy surrounding them. Various reports have concluded that some antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts, while other studies have found that SSRI's can severely decrease feelings of love.
 


  • Antidepressants have actually been shown to increase the risk of suicide. Prozac alone has been associated with over 1,730 deaths and over 28,000 adverse reactions.
     
  • Prescription antidepressants can cause anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal tendencies, poor sleep, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, weight gain, confusion, involuntary muscle spasms, and senility.

  • Antidepressants can actually deplete serotonin. Studies now show that SSRIs eventually cause the brain to release less and less serotonin.
     
  • Up to 70% of those taking antidepressant drugs would see the same benefits from a placebo.

 

 

 

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This information is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation.

 

sourced in part from: The American Institute of Stress (www.stress.org); National Institute of Mental Health (www.nimh.nih.gov); Anxiety Disorders Association of America (www.adaa.org).