Can Antidepressants Really Cure Depression?

Prompting Changes

Claims like these have definitely alarmed health professionals and journalists alike. They have made them more aware and as concerned as ever after the book was released. There was also a push, in the mental health patients community to stop using their medication without the consultation of an expert. It was truly a stepping stone for the people affected by depression to make anew.

In Hari’s Words

In the meantime, some others became even more concerned about the impact the claims made by Hari could have. His thoughts about antidepressants that “between 65 and 80 percent of people on antidepressants are depressed again within a year” has especially provoked thoughts of those people involved with depression to think a little deeper. 

Is He Credible?

Even if Lost Connections has sparked a lot of controversies definitely struck a populist nerve, there was a lot of criticism regarding Hari’s words. People were very quick to talk about the fact that this was just his second major work after publishing a huge plagiarism scandal regarding his work back in 2011. He had to keep away from the public for some time when this happened.

The Lancet Review

This ongoing discussion began to grow even more. It was splattered all across social media and in several editorial columns as it is an issue that thousands of people deal with every day.  After waiting for 6 long years, the systematic review which weighed the usefulness of antidepressants titled The Lancet was finally published.

A Review Of Reviews

This was a review that collected all of the scientific data, ones that have both been published and unpublished that the staff from Oxford University in the United Kingdom could gather. This extensive research was an analysis that has been assessed ever so carefully so that it could hopefully turn out to be the final verdict of the highly heated antidepressant controversy.

Prof. Carmine Pariante’s Statement

For example, Prof. Carmine Pariante who works as a spokesperson for the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the U.K. released a statement regarding this review, “This meta-analysis finally puts to bed the controversy on antidepressants, clearly showing that these drugs do work in lifting mood and helping most people with depression.”