Exciting new depression study

This will and should change the face of mental health treatment. An umbrella study looking at a multitude od studies as well as meta-analyses has found that anti-depressants appear not to be effective for depression. This is because depression, according to the research, is not neurochemical in nature but rather situational, meaning typically accompanying a co-occurring disorder and treatable with talk therapy.

Depression, as it always has, is best treated through cognitive behavioral therapy leading to life and perception changes, which in turn lead to new behaviors. This is great material to discuss with your mental health professional or doctor. To read the study:

The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence
J. Moncrieff, R. Cooper, T. Stockmann, S. Amendola, M. Hengartner & M. Horowitz
Conclusion, in part:
The main areas of serotonin research provide no consistent evidence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations. Some evidence was consistent with the possibility that long-term antidepressant use reduces serotonin concentration.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

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MasterofNone · 26-30, M

I am glad that this study has happened. I hated people when they said medications are the solution. Thank you for sharing.

NerdyPotato · M

@MasterofNone has anyone with a medical degree ever said that medication alone is a full solution? It's often used to support therapy and rarely prescribed on it's own, as far as I know.

MasterofNone · 26-30, M

@NerdyPotato I have never heard of a treatment solely consisting of medications. But I did have a friend who thought more medication would have saved another friend's life.

Graylight · 51-55, F

@NerdyPotato @MasterofNone Actually, many primary care physicians will prescribe an SSRI with no mental health therapy or follow-up whatsoever. They are not mental health practitioners. 10's of 1,000's of people in the US are on SSRIs with absolutely CBT to adjunct it. Because here, we need a pill to cure things. And pills to handle the side effects of those pills. And if your pet feels stress due to your troubles, then there's a pill for that, too.

Mental health is hard work. it take reptation, failure, practice and analysis. And pills aren't the boon we think they are. SSRI's are deadly for addicts. Opioids actually end up causing more pain in the long-term. Gabapentin works only marginally for nerve pain but great for addiction. Any chemical introduced into a human is poison; it's all about the amount introduced.