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Comment by glenda | Hacker News Reader

Antidepressants are overprescribed (just like how Ritalin was like 15-20 years ago) because they work so well that doctors reach for a pill as their first course of action while ignoring other less life altering options.

Some people also find themselves with side-effects like suicidal thoughts or loss of sexual functions that can be devastating, and in some cases will last beyond the use of the medicine.

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They are also prescribed frequently because many people's first line of psychiatric care is their primary care physician, who is rarely trained in diagnosis or treatment of mental health issues, but is prepared to write a script.

Serious psychiatrists combine multiple approaches; for instance, many are trained behaviorists. Additionally, psychiatrists are more careful about the scripts they write: you might find it hard to get much tuning and medication fitting done with your P.C.P., but a psychiatrist might carefully ramp you up and, later, down and off of a specific drug.

Do you have any evidence for the efficacy of antidepressants that others, including their manufacturers, do not? In fact, SSRIs/SNRIs are not particularly effective -- at least no more effective than placebo.

My comment on the effectiveness of antidepressants is in reference to the way many doctors seem to view these drugs, not based on any particular studies or evidence.

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