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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SW-User

Jesus this is wrong on so many levels...

First of all, the serotonin hypothesis, because this is what you're talking about, is not the only possible explanation associated with neurochemical abnormalities. It is simply the most commonly discussed one. There are ongoing studies, like one from the university of Edinburgh, that are examining the potential role/effect of specific ion channels on depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

This is not a study but a REVIEW! And it is an umbrella review, which means they simply (in a very careful way, I have to admit, they tried to be as accurate as possible) examined and gathered data from past studies. AND IT IS MENTIONED IN THIS REVIEW, THE ONE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THAT:

As with all research synthesis, the findings of this umbrella review are dependent on the quality of the included studies, and susceptible to their limitations. Most of the included studies were rated as low quality on the AMSTAR-2, but the GRADE approach suggested some findings were reasonably robust.