Antidepressants are ineffective for most patients who suffer from depression, a new study claims. The study’s authors say depressed patients can improve their moods without chemical treatments such as Prozac or Effexor.
Digital Journal — A breakthrough analysis of Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) found that best-selling antidepressants aren’t more effective than placebos. University of Hull researchers say antidepressants “have no clinically significant effects in all cases apart from a small group of the most severely depressed patients.”
In a released statement, Professor Irving Kirsch, from the Psychology department at the University of Hull, said: “The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking antidepressants is not very great. This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments.”
The study, published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine, questions the logic of prescribing drugs such as Prozac, which has been used by 40 million people worldwide. This study is taking aim at popular drugs thanks to its unique methodology — researchers incorporated data not previously released by drug companies, which they obtained through American freedom of information laws. The team found published and unpublished studies, allowing them to conduct meta-analysis of all clinical trials. If they hadn’t gone this route, they would have had to rely on published studies which may be filled with selective reporting due to sponsoring parties.
The Hull report is essentially implying that patients may feel better after taking antidepressants simply because they believe they are taking something effective. The placebo effect is gaining some credence, even among the drug companies: The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry admits a placebo effect could be applicable in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate depression.
And as Kirsch wrote in the study’s release:
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.
Since their rise to fame, antidepressants have since faced a rocky road to prosperity. Various reports have concluded that some antidepressants can fuel suicidal thoughts, while other studies have found that SSRIs can kill feelings of love. It seems that every month brings us news of antidepressants’ risks. And while medication for severe depression is obviously warranted, these studies should make people rethink how over-medication is running rampant in today’s pill-popping society.
