But the studies show that for the vast majority of people (that is, everyone except the extremely depressed) antidepressants perform no better than placebo. Doe

But the studies show that for the vast majority of people (that is, everyone except the extremely depressed) antidepressants perform no better than placebo. Doesn't that astonishing fact change things a little? The only reason we believe otherwise is that for many years positive findings were cherry-picked for publication while negative ones were suppressed. It took a Freedom of Information Act request and years of litigation to get access to the full spectrum of studies, and when they were finally surveyed, the statistical impact was negligible. (Except, as mentioned, for the small portion of the patient base who meet the criteria for severe depression. I don't remember the number.) Far be it from me to condemn anything that truly helps people, but there is a lot of spin on this topic. Profit motive plus cultural bias is a hell of a double whammy.