An article in the BMJ (see here for pdf) questions whether SSRIs (like Prozac) are better than placebo at treating depression. The authors suggest that, even if SSRIs are marginally better than placebo, the small effect may be due to a general stimulating or depressive effect of the drug rather than any seritonin-related problem in patients. This article in WebMD discusses the research (making note of Tom Cruise's recent controversial statements posted earlier here) and describes some countervailing opinion. From the WebMD article:
[P]sychiatrist Darrel Regier, MD, MPH, says there is plenty of clinical evidence showing that antidepressants work and that the reviews failed to include important studies showing just that.
Regier, who is director of research for the American Psychiatric Association, noted that Moncrieff is co-founder of a group in the U.K. that questions the very existence of depression and the need to treat it.
"She is of the persuasion that medical disorders are a myth and a social construct, and that there is no biological basis for them," he tells WebMD. "I think what she has done, given her bias, is emphasize the negative [antidepressant] studies and mischaracterize many other ones."
And here's another article on the research. (via Mind Hacks).
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