Seeking to end a long-running debate over whether antidepressants are truly effective, a group of researchers conducted a sweeping new analysis of hundreds of studies and determined the pills were useful in relieving depression among adults.
Although effectiveness and side effects varied, the findings indicated antidepressants were, across the board, more effective than a placebo. Consequently, the results provide “the best currently available evidence base to guide the choice about pharmacological treatment” for adults suffering from depression, the researchers wrote in The Lancet, where the new study was published.
The analysis follows more than a decade of controversy over antidepressants and the extent to which the medicines actually help people who suffer from depression or may worsen their symptoms. The debate intensified after some companies were found to have withheld unflattering study results that in some cases, led to scandal, massive litigation, and settlements with U.S. authorities.
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