This is noted in the limitations : > The results are reported after 8 weeks of treatment, so we don't know if they apply to long-term use of antidepressants.

This is noted in the limitations : > The results are reported after 8 weeks of treatment, so we don't know if they apply to long-term use of antidepressants. I'm not sure why you would discount an improvement in symptoms over 8 weeks though. Many major depressive episodes will be resolved in that time ("The median duration of MDE was 3.0 months; 50% of participants recovered within 3 months"[1]), so even if they are not suitable, or less effective, for long term care, that can still be a improvement in quality of life. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12204924 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12204924 (FWIW, it was 21 antidepressants, not 21 studies: "The researchers found 522 studies covering 116,477 patients in total. This included 101 previously unpublished studies.")