Antidepressants Got You Down?

I found this fascinating quote today:

"The chemical imbalance theory, which was formulated in the 1960s, was based on the observation that mood could be artificially altered with drugs, rather than direct observation of any chemical imbalances," Leo said. "Since then there has been no direct evidence to confirm the theory and a significant number of findings cast doubt on the theory."

The researchers said the popularity of the theory is in large part based on the presumed efficacy of the SSRIs, but they say that several large studies now cast doubt on this efficacy.

A review of a full set of trial data published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine last month concluded that much of the perceived efficacy of several of the most common SSRIs was due to the placebo effect.

Other studies indicate that for every 10 people who take an SSRI, only one to two people are truly receiving benefit from the medication, according to Lacasse and Leo.

Still, the National Center for Health Statistics found that antidepressants are the most prescribed drugs in the United States, with doctors writing more than 31 million prescriptions in 2005.

Both Lacasse and Leo emphasized the importance of patients being given factual information so they can make informed decisions about medications and the role of other potentially useful interventions, such as psychotherapy, exercise or self-help strategies.

"Patients might make different choices about the use of medications and possibly use alternative approaches to their distress if they were fully informed," Lacasse said.

"We believe the media can play a positive role by ensuring that their mental health reporting is congruent with scientific literature."

Ψ Dare To Dream..., Mar 2009

You should read the whole article.

Drug Company Scandal

It may not be as big a scandal as Madoff's ponzi scheme, but it has affected many more people and involves more money.

A recent journal article paper by Eric Turner and others in the New England Journal of Medicine titled "Selective Publication of Antidepressant Trials and Its Influence on Apparent Efficacy," showed that drug companies were inflating claims of efficacy by not publishing all the results of the studies done on antidepressant medications.

Instead of 94% of the studies demonstrating effectiveness for the drugs, the rate is closer to 51%. This means that the consumer's doctor is mislead to believe that the drugs he or she is prescribing are more effective than they actually are. The doctor, in turn, sets unrealistic expectations for the patient receiving the medication. When the patient fails to respond, then the patient feels hopeless because he or she has been led to expect that everyone else is benefiting from the medication.

Such disappointment can, in turn, lead to greater self-doubt, hopelessness and a loss of motivation to battle the depression. Madoff will be held accountable for his behavior and will likely spend time in jail. What is the consequence when drug companies inflate the efficacy of their medicine?