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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Zaphod42 · 51-55, M

I feel like they’re missing the fact that there are several reasons for depression. Some are situational, some are neuro chemical, and others are from atypical brain structure. Mine is from a chemical imbalance that antidepressants don’t work for. The key is taking the proper supplements to put the chemistry back in balance. It’s been working like a charm for the last ten years.

SW-User

@Zaphod42

I feel like they’re missing the fact that there are several reasons for depression

And you are 100% right. This is what is mention in the review:

Studies of depression associated with physical conditions and specific subtypes of depression (e.g. bipolar depression) were excluded.

Graylight · 51-55, F

@Zaphod42 What they're saying is that, with the exception of specific subtypes of depression, it's not a simply neurochemical imbalance.

No supplement will restore neurochemistry or display any noticeable interaction with neurotransmitters; they can affect brain health, but they don't cure mental disorders. I would suggest your case it typical of those studied herein: you achieved no appreciable improvement from supplements. Not because you're special, but because SSRISs have been repeatedly shown not to be nearly effective as so many Americans are desperate for them to be. Depression is almost always situational. Change the troubling part of the person and you see depression disappear.

Zaphod42 · 51-55, M

@Graylight You’re correct in that SSRI’s didn’t do much, however the OTC supplements such as SAM-e, 5HTP, vitamin d and glycine have made a marked improvement over all. And while I do have to take them regularly for continued effect, the effect is pronounced and dramatic.

Graylight · 51-55, F

@Zaphod42 There's little science to back it up, though. This is what we call the placebo effect, by and large. They can all lend to better physical health, but they don't address mental health disorders. However, while the placebo effect is often used as a punchline, it's a very real, very studied and very beneficial phenomenon. If a person feels better, a person is better, generally speaking. That's not to say some supplements don't minimally address some symptoms; they do. But nothing will ever take the place of CBT for mood disorders.

Whatever works for you, keep doing it. As long as you're not creating more damage, it can only be beneficial.