by John Ely at Daily Mail
- Experts reviewed 17 analyses of serotonin and its relationship to depression
- They said they found ‘no evidence’ of a link, casting doubt on antidepressant use
- Other experts say the drugs work even if low serotonin doesn’t cause depression
- Depression sufferers have been urged to still continue taking their medication
Low serotonin levels do not cause depression, according to a major review.
Today’s landmark findings call into question society’s ever-growing reliance on antidepressants like Prozac.
Millions of patients take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, designed to boost levels of the ‘feel-good’ chemical.
One academic involved in the study described the findings as ‘eye-opening’, and that ‘everything I thought I knew has been flipped upside down’.
Lead author Professor Joanna Moncrieff, a psychiatrist, said: ‘The popularity of the “chemical imbalance” theory has coincided with a huge increase in the use of antidepressants.
‘Thousands suffer from side effects of antidepressants, including severe withdrawal effects that can occur when people try to stop them, yet prescription rates continue to rise…
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