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Sixty years ago, studies were done comparing antidepressants with what is called “active placebos,” drugs that mimic the side effects of antidepressants. The conclusion? Almost no difference in outcome. Reading about the results of these 1960s studies was a lightbulb moment for British psychiatrist Dr Joanna Moncrieff. She was... show more
12,372 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten •via X (Twitter)
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“So instead of questioning why we were prescribing these drugs so widely and trying to rein in the prescribing, leading psychiatric researchers found ways to present the evidence that made it look a little bit better,” she said. 🔴 WATCH FULL:

Without the drugs, psychiatrists have little to offer. The psychotherapy they formerly offered has been farmed out to therapists (many of which are unhinged leftists), and it takes far too much time to be able to treat all those who are seeking mental health treatment now.

Antidepressants and the myth of "it's just a chemical imbalance" . As ubiquitous and impact full as "just Google it" has been . "Settled science" by media messaging .

Except SSRIs are more than placebo. They are potentially very harmful. @joannamoncrieff @PTMFramework @DrDavidHealy @DrTerryLynch

I was told using active placebos was unethical. I had no idea this had been done. Who made it unethical? Simple vitamins can be used.

And yet, the *right* antidepressants worked very well for me: imipramine, then later, mirtazapine.

This is a selective and misleading framing. Early “active placebo” studies were small, methodologically weak, and predate modern diagnostic criteria. More recent large meta-analyses show antidepressants outperform placebo, particularly in moderate–severe depression. Small average effect sizes ≠ no real benefit for individuals. That’s a statistical misunderstanding. Side effects and withdrawal risks are real and should be handled transparently, but presenting antidepressants as broadly ineffective or placebo-only is not supported by the totality of evidence. Precision matters. Oversimplification helps no one.
