I wouldn't say that that is a false statement, there's been a bunch of research in the area, mostly started by this paper: https://www3.nd.edu/~ghaeffel/Kirsch2

I wouldn't say that that is a false statement, there's been a bunch of research in the area, mostly started by this paper: https://www3.nd.edu/~ghaeffel/Kirsch2002%20Prevention%20&%20Treatment%20copy.pdf https://www3.nd.edu/~ghaeffel/Kirsch2002%20Prevention%20&%20... Note that the above is an analysis of the data used to approve the medications from the FDA, so likely to be optimistic. The headline finding is that compared to an active placebo (i.e. one with similar side effects), the benefits of SSRIs are very small. However, if you have a diagnosis of MDD, there is more evidence for an effect (although it's still pretty small). It's a difficult subject to study correctly, because of the strong commercial pressures (like most drug studies, to be fair), but depression does seem relatively placebo responsive, which would suggest either a connection to inflammation or the body's opioid system. This does not mean that people should stop taking anti-depressants, I'm not a medical doctor etc, but there is some research to support the assertion around SSRIs and placebo in the article.