Antidepressants in the SSRI family don't appear to be any more effective than a placebo in treating any but the most severely depressed people. That's the conclusion of a study published last week in the Public Library of Science Medicine. The study analyzed trial results, both published and unpublished, of six widely prescribed SSRIs. The researchers found that a placebo worked just as well as the SSRIs for people with mild or moderate depression.

I don't find these conclusions particularly surprising. To my mind, there are very few situations in which someone with mild depression should be prescribed an antidepressant. Actually, I can't think of even one, but bear in mind that I'm not a doctor. However, I think that most doctors would agree that other approaches are as effective, such as talk therapy and exercise. Whether or not moderate depression should be treated with antidepressants is a little more complicated. My take on it is that antidepressants shouldn't necessarily be the first line of defense.

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