A new study suggests that antidepressants may not improve the quality of life in the long run, compared to depressed people who don't take them.
We should use them, as they save lives in many instances. An important project, the findings are the latest among a lot of work that has led to a rethink of antidepressants.
The research may help people who feel let down by antidepressants. If these meds are stopped abruptly, they can have unwanted side effects such as weight gain, insomnia, loss of sex drive, and even withdrawal-like symptoms.
The ultimate goal of therapy is to improve people's overall wellbeing, especially their quality of life, for years and not just a few short months. It is questionable if antidepressants help achieve this goal.
The pharmaceutical industry has long suppressed trial data showing that antidepressants can be effective, inflating the apparent effects of the lucrative drugs.
Although this publication bias seems to have diminished in recent years, the fact remains that antidepressants leave many people desperate for better treatments, while the global burden of depression continues to grow.
Quality of life is one of the aspects that matter most to patients.
The US Medical Expenditures Panel Survey is a nationwide study that tracks which health services Americans use.
According to health records, 17 million adults were diagnosed with depression each year, which is equivalent to the population of the Netherlands or Ecuador.
Nearly 60 percent of people in the 11-year dataset were treated with antidepressants, reflecting the real-world gender disparity in mental health.
The analysis found that some improvements in mental, but not physical, aspects of quality of life were associated with the use of antidepressants. People reported that their psychological distress and wellbeing improved with the use of antidepressants, but their physical health problems, bodily pain, and lack of vitality remained.
The positive change in some aspects of quality of life seen among those on antidepressants over two years did not differ much from that seen among those not taking the drugs.
There was no impact on people's quality of life from taking antidepressants, so doctors and health professionals should consider looping people into social support sessions before resorting to them.
The study did not distinguish between newly diagnosed cases of depression and people who had lived with the mood disorder for years; people were included in the analysis so long as they had a diagnosis of depression and two years of follow-up data.
The severity of depression was not recorded in the survey data. The two study groups had different experiences of poverty.
The findings of this US-centered study fit with mounting evidence from other countries that modern antidepressants are falling short.
That doesn't mean we should do away with antidepressants altogether. Rather, as this study underscores, clinicians might need to rethink how antidepressants are best used and whether or not the drugs deliver meaningful, lasting benefits to people.
Researchers argued last year that mental health experts need to revisit to whom and how antidepressants are prescribed, and for people with severe depression, not mild symptoms.
According to a 2016 meta-analysis of more than 150 randomized, placebo-controlled trials, talking therapy alone is not as effective as antidepressants in improving people's quality of life.
Although we still need our patients with depression to continue using their antidepressants, long-term studies evaluating the impact on their quality of life are needed.
The study was published in a journal.
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