Are antidepressants virtually useless?

Over the last month two groups of psychiatrists have been battling on Twitter about the efficacy of antidepressants. On one side of the debate is psychiatry researcher Professor Joanna Moncrieff from University College London, who says there is little good evidence that the most common type of mood boosters – SSRIs – can help beat depression. The side effects, she says, are simply not worth it.

But Dr Sameer Jauhar – a consultant psychiatrist from Kings College London – has written an entire scientific paper to outline the flaws in Moncrieff’s argument. The pills do work, he says, and we have a good idea as to how. Who is right?

Follow Medical Minefield on Twitter @MedMinefield

Support the show: https://medicalminefield.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices