Confessions of a Renegade Psychiatrist

Depression is Not A Serotonin Deficiency


Thanks to direct-to-consumer advertising and complicit FDA endorsement of evidence-less claims, the public has been sold an insultingly oversimplified tale about the underlying driver of depression. Here's how we know depression is not a serotonin deficiency corrected by Zoloft:

You might wonder: Well, then how is it that antidepressants are a billion dollar industry and I have all these friends who are so much better on them? 

Some pioneering individuals have investigated the data supporting antidepressant efficacy and have made compelling arguments for what is called the "active placebo" effect accounting for "breaking blind" in placebo-controlled trials. 

In short, the expectation of relief and subsequent change in symptoms experienced by "responders" is related to perception of side effects. This analysis suggests that antidepressants may only have 10% efficacy above and beyond the placebo effect. 

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