Have SSRIs really been proven effective?

http://www.srmhp.org/0201/media-watch.ht...





In treating depression and social anxiety, have SSRIs really been proven effective? Will it help all with these disorders?

Have SSRIs really been proven effective?
A medical literature search on the efficacy of SSRIs yielded 505 articles. I obviously can't copy-paste all of the abstracts, so here's a select couple:


A randomized, controlled trial of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and sertraline versus a waitlist control group for anxiety disorders in older adults.


Results: Although both CBT and sertraline led to significant improvement in anxiety, worry, and depressive symptoms both at posttreatment and at three-month follow up, sertraline showed superior results on worry symptoms.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...





Escitalopram maintenance treatment for prevention of recurrent depression: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.


CONCLUSION: Maintenance treatment with escitalopram was well tolerated and significantly reduced the risk for recurrence of depression. Patients with few residual symptoms following continuation treatment with escitalopram experienced a high rate of depression recurrence when switched to placebo, demonstrating the need for maintenance therapy of recurrent major depressive disorder beyond 4 to 6 months of initial symptom resolution even if few residual symptoms are present.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...





UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute has conducted good research on placebos and SSRIs. They found that treatment with placebo not only reduces symptoms of major depression, it also changes the function of the brain. In this study, only 38% of those patients treated with placebo improved, as opposed to more than 50% the SSRI treated subjects. At the end of the study, when subjects were told what they really had received, most of the placebo treated subjects had a deterioration of their mood, and ended up receiving SSRIs anyway. This is consistent with the traditional view of the placebo response, that it does not yield enduring benefit.





Part of the reason why doctors don't just prescribe placebos is that it is completely unethical.
Reply:From what I've read and seen, I think just like anything else it the individual person, their envirorment/health make the difference,





I personally have been off/on different meds over time I am considered a normally intelligent person with good insight. And some have worked better than others.
Reply:I've read that they have been proven effective across numerous studies as well as numerous types of chemicals





I like the available at Wal Mart St. John's Wort as well








visit pubmed.org http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query... to read research abstracts





visit wikipedia.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI
Reply:They have, in fact, been proven greatly effective in oft-repeated, double-blind controlled studies. They also have many fewer side effects than the earlier tri-cyclic and atypical anti-depressant medications.





In many studies, SSRIs and cognitive psychotherapy were compared with no treatment to determine the effectiveness of each and a combination of the two. Both SSRIs and cognitive therapy were shown to lead to far greater improvement. But the most long-lasting and relapse preventing therapy was the two combined.





It should be noted that with the arising variety of SSRIs, each with its own formulation, it may take 2-3 tries to find the most effective, least side-effect prone version of the medications.





EDIT:


Re.: Above answer: Later studies have shown St. Johns Wort to have no effect on depression.





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Reply:The simple answer is yes, there is vast research that shows SSRI's are effective in treating depression and anxiety. Other answers have quoted research, but just wanted to put it in simple terms.





It's pretty simple science too. This aren't drugs that you have no idea what they are doing, it can be explained in simple terms. In depressed patients, the levels of certain neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain) are lowered, particularly one called seretonin.





Yes there is issues over whether this are the cause of the depression, or an effect of the depression, but that fact remains that in depressed patients, there are low levels of this chemical.





It's sometimes described as the 'feel good chemical' because without it, depression occurs. It's the same chemical that is released in heavy exercise, by the sun, and other things. But in depressed patients, the levels are very low.





Put simply, SSRI's increase the levels of this neurotransmitter. That's why they are called SSRI's- Selective Seretonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They increase the seretonin, and there for, lessen, and usually eliminate feelings of depression.





There's lots of research that's support this. There is always going to be contraversy and stuff in the news and papers over this, and whether they work. I personally am usually suprised by the lack of educated proof these people had. I recently saw someone on a very highly aclaimed tv programme stating that there is no proof that there are low levels of seretonin in depressed patients. That is completely untrue. It worrys me these people are allowed to speak on television under the guise of being 'educated'.
Reply:Yes, SSRIs have been proven to be effective in a number of studies. They have also been noted as having fewer or less severe side effects than other psychiatric medications. However, they don't always work, depending on the disorder or the patient. Most of the studies, I believe, have shown SSRIs as superior to placebo in treating patients.