A British study questioning the efficacy of chemical antidepressants has sparked heated debate in the scientific community, where there is no clear consensus on the origins of this disease. “Our study (…) questions the idea behind the use of antidepressants ,” psychiatrists Joanna Moncrieff and Mark Horowitz said in late July on The Conversation website , following their study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry . . This study criticizes the hypothesis of serotonin , a molecule essential for the transmission of emotions in the brain :
The hypothesis, which has been in place in recent decades and which has served a vast scientific literature, assumes that a person who does not produce enough serotonin needs chemical support . This new study, based on a collection of previous publications and therefore more robust than an isolated study, concludes that the link between a serotonin deficiency and the onset of depression is not decisive . The presentation of the research by Joanna Moncrieff , a psychiatrist known for her skepticism about the biological explanations of depression, sparked criticism. ” Overall, I agree with the authors’ conclusions, but I don’t share their unshakable certainty ,” said the British psychiatrist.Phil Cowen at the Science Media Center. ” No mental health professional ” would dare to claim that a complex problem like depression ” stems from a single neurotransmitter , “ says Cowen. Some critics, emphasizes Giovanni D’Agata , president of the ” Rights Desk “, point out that this new compilation by psychiatrists does not directly measure the level of serotonin but rather its indirect presence. Moncrieff, who is a harsh critic of the industry pharmaceuticals, argues that the psychiatric community is still dominated by the serotonin theory.“There are prominent psychiatrists who are beginning to question the link between depression and serotonin deficiency, but no one has bothered to warn the public ,” jokes the author on her blog. For the Swiss psychiatrist Michel Hofmann , it is the authors of this new study that take a step forward. Questioning the link between serotonin and depression, they go on to suggest that antidepressants shouldn’t be used:
“It’s a serious study (…) but I don’t think it’s an article that has a short-term impact on antidepressant prescribing,” this expert said. Moncrieff points out, however, that he does not recommend abruptly stopping antidepressants . Hofmann, as well as many other psychiatrists, recall that these drugs have been shown to be effective in relieving depression, whatever the origin of the disease. ” The mechanisms of the drugs used in the treatment of depression are generally manifold and in most cases it is not known exactly what makes a treatment effective.“he explains. The debate over serotonin illustrates the mystery surrounding a complex disease, one of the most important for its impact on Western societies.” We continue at the hypothesis level, we continue to investigate and compare models , “concludes Hofmann.
Sources:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0
