Do antidepressants work?

New review advocates for a ‘more cautious prescribing practice’

Aerial view of pills
(Image credit: Adam Nieścioruk/Unsplash)

Doctors should focus on prescribing antidepressants to people with “severe depression” rather than more moderate or mild symptoms, given uncertainties over their effectiveness, a new study has found.

The review, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)’s Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, suggests a “more cautious prescribing practice – with antidepressants given to fewer patients, for shorter periods of time”.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us