Antidepressants are medications prescribed to reduce symptoms of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antidepressants were invented in the 1950s and their mechanism of action is replenishing the neurotransmitters or correcting the chemical imbalance. Research evidence suggests that antidepressant treatments act by inducing neuroplastic changes in the brain. In other words, antidepressants change the way your brain uses certain chemicals often called neurotransmitters to better regulate your mood and behavior. Antidepressants are one of the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States. More than 1 in 10 people in the United States take them. This blog post will answer the question How effective are antidepressants?
Antidepressants are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat health problems such as bipolar depression, bulimia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (social phobia). The effectiveness of antidepressants depend on the person, the health condition, the type of medication. The major types or classes of antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), atypical antidepressants, serotonin modulators, n-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, and Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant and Fluoxetine (Prozac®) is perhaps the most well-known SSRI. How effective are antidepressants?
Antidepressants are more effective for people with moderate to severe depression than for those with mild depression. The first-line treatment of mild depression includes psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, or non-pharmacological approaches. SSRIs and SNRIs types of antidepressants are effective for treating generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and OCD. A combination of antidepressants with psychotherapy, such as CBT, is often more effective than either treatment alone in treating moderate to severe depression. Side effects can lead to discontinuation.