health

Study seeks to end antidepressant debate: the drugs do work

5 Comments
By Kate Kelland

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Was this study carried out in response to all the mass shootings and suicides done by people on anti-depressants?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Problem is, depression is often misdiagnosed i.e. you end up treating bipolars/schizos etc with antidepressants.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Reckless: Not likely. The study shows that they work on acute depression. Anything more than that and they cease to be effective. I speak from experience on this. Ended up on quite a high dose of Fluoxetine, and it did nothing. Nothing useful anyway. I became unable to comprehend what depression felt like, which is not as good as it sounds, because it triggered anxiety attacks instead. It was highly unpleasant knowing that there was something wrong with me, but that I couldn't comprehend what it was that I was feeling. I had to come off Fluoxetine in the end. It would have been worse not to.

So... I guess this is reassuring for people with acute depression? But for people with more severe forms, this news means nothing really.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The researchers asked the drug companies if the fact that they funded most of the studies in any way skewed the results. 'Not at all' said the drug companies. So that's ok, then. (This is from an interview with one of the researchers on the BBC.)

Having struggled with depression myself, like the poster above, I read many of the original studies and was shocked at how the data had been manipulated. My old academic supervisor told me always to read the original research, and not others reporting that research. I'm glad I did.

Anti-depressants do help some people, but far fewer than is claimed, and the dangers of taking these drugs is grossly underestimated.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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