Researchers Set the Record Straight on Controversial Zoloft Study

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An issue of Lancet Psychiatry is devoted to clarifying the lack of efficacy for Zoloft (sertraline).

How Antidepressants Shape Young Women’s Sense of Self

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Young women’s narratives indicate ways antidepressants have shaped their sense of self.

No Matter Which Measure You Use, Antidepressants Aren’t That Effective

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Researchers compared the efficacy of antidepressants using different rating scales and found them to be no different—just slightly better than placebo, and not meeting the criteria for clinical significance.

Psychotherapy Less Effective for People in Poverty and Those on Antidepressants

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A new study finds poorer depression and anxiety outcomes in psychotherapy for people in economically deprived neighborhoods and those on antidepressants.

Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants

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Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.

Fluoxetine Not Helpful for Children with Autism

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A clinical trial finds Prozac no better than placebo for improving repetitive behaviors.

Researchers Challenge Evidence for Antidepressants in Youth

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Researchers shed light on the precarious nature of evidence from efficacy trials of antidepressant medication to treat symptoms of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents.

NICE Guideline Update Acknowledges Severe Antidepressant Withdrawal

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A new update to the NICE guideline for depression suggests providers discuss long-term, severe antidepressant withdrawal symptoms.

Clinical Trials Show Antidepressants “Not Beneficial in the Long Term”

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Clinical trials also consistently fail to measure and report long-term harmful effects.

Researchers: “Antidepressants Should Not be Used for Adults with Major Depressive Disorder”

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A new review, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, concludes that antidepressants should not be used as the risks outweigh evidence for benefits.
sertraline antidepressant withdrawal

Ambushed by Antidepressant Withdrawal: The Escape Story

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I’m alive. More than 30,000 veterans in the past decade alone are not. I was not warned of the risks of this drug. I was not told that once on it, I might never be able to get off it, or the nightmare that would ensue when I tried. I know millions of others were not told either.

Zoloft Does Not Improve Depression, Even in Severe Cases, Study Finds

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Despite their finding, the researchers suggest that SSRIs be given to people who do not meet criteria for depression or anxiety.

Antidepressant Use Associated With More Violent Suicide Attempts

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A new study found that taking an antidepressant medication was associated with a heightened risk of suicide using violent means.

Antidepressant Use Does Not Prevent Suicide, Study Finds

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A new study has found that antidepressants are ineffective for reducing suicide attempts. Researchers report that the risk of suicide is particularly high in the first month after starting an antidepressant.

Therapy Gets More Effective Over Time While Antidepressants Decrease in Effectiveness

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New review of long-term depression data finds psychotherapy more effective over time whereas antidepressants decrease in effectiveness.

Guidelines Recommending Antidepressants “in Contradiction with the Current Evidence”

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Researchers critique the German S3 guidelines for depression promoting antidepressants.

Risk of Depressive Relapse Three Times Higher After Previous Antidepressant Use

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A new study found that having been prescribed an antidepressant previously was associated with an increased risk of depressive relapse.

Adding Fluoxetine to Therapy Not Superior to Therapy Alone in Depressed Teens

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The addition of fluoxetine to CBT did not further reduce depressive symptoms in young people with moderate-to-severe depression.

Antidepressants Blunt Ability to Feel Empathy

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A new study suggests that taking antidepressants impairs empathy, while the experience of depression itself does not.
A bottle of pills. Some are spilled out.

Antidepressant Use More Than Doubles Risk of Suicide Attempts

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Throughout the past two decades, studies have warned of increased suicide rates in those taking antidepressants, especially in children and adolescents. Researchers also documented...

Anticholinergic Psychiatric Drugs Linked to a 50% Increase in Dementia

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People who take anticholinergic drugs, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, are at a 50% higher risk of dementia.

Researcher Critiques Misleading Claims About Antidepressants

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Recent claims about antidepressant effectiveness have been based on misleading statements and misunderstandings of the science.

Children Taking ADHD Drugs More Likely to Take Antidepressants as Teens

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Adhering to a commonly prescribed medication for ADHD in children is associated with higher chances of being prescribed antidepressants in adolescence.

Exposure to Antidepressants in the Womb Linked to Autism

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Researchers, publishing in Toxicology Research, review the evidence that antidepressant exposure in the womb is linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in humans.

Exposure to Antidepressants in the Womb Linked to Autistic Behavior in Mice

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Researchers experimenting on mice found that exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac) in utero resulted in behaviors considered in animal studies to be analogous to autism in humans.