3 ms·

> SSRIs were very effective for me, and it was 100% not placebo. You may have had extreme depression. That's the cohort that anti-depressents actually work for

> SSRIs were very effective for me, and it was 100% not placebo. You may have had extreme depression. That's the cohort that anti-depressents actually work for. But they are next to a scam for people with mild depression (or I should say, they do the same thing as placebo according to RCTs), which is where the majority of prescriptions go to. See Irving Kirsch's research on this question. I'd add that, even if you didn't have extreme depression, I don't doubt that you experienced something that wasn't placebo, because you did take a substance that causes side effects. It is impossible to blind you to the consequences of a side-effect causing drug.

Perenti 3y ago
Is "extreme depression" a clinical term? I've heard of Major Depression, Chronic Depression, Clinical Depression.
monero-xmr 3y ago
I had depression, generalized anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, and myriad issues related to that. I tried years of meditation, diet changes, vitamins and supplements, and exercise routines. When I finally agreed to try SSRIs after years of resistance, I was essentially cured within 3 weeks after 5 years of debilitating issues.
- hackerlight 3y ago
  > debilitating issues. Could it be that you had severe depression, if the issues were debilitating? Irving Kirsch's studies have shown that anti-depressents are indeed effective for such cases. Or perhaps it just happened to work for you. RCTs only look at mean effects so they dilute exceptions and outliers. Anyways, this is a more pro-anti-depressants/pro-psychiatry analysis of Irving Kirsch's research: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/07/ssris-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/07/ssris-much-more-than-y...
  - monero-xmr 3y ago
    The primary issue was anxiety and OCD. The drug worked, I know it’s hard for you to believe if you didn’t experience it yourself. But it is a night and day difference.

Perenti 3y ago

Is "extreme depression" a clinical term? I've heard of Major Depression, Chronic Depression, Clinical Depression.

monero-xmr 3y ago

I had depression, generalized anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, and myriad issues related to that. I tried years of meditation, diet changes, vitamins and supplements, and exercise routines. When I finally agreed to try SSRIs after years of resistance, I was essentially cured within 3 weeks after 5 years of debilitating issues.

hackerlight 3y ago
> debilitating issues. Could it be that you had severe depression, if the issues were debilitating? Irving Kirsch's studies have shown that anti-depressents are indeed effective for such cases. Or perhaps it just happened to work for you. RCTs only look at mean effects so they dilute exceptions and outliers. Anyways, this is a more pro-anti-depressants/pro-psychiatry analysis of Irving Kirsch's research: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/07/ssris-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/07/ssris-much-more-than-y...
- monero-xmr 3y ago
  The primary issue was anxiety and OCD. The drug worked, I know it’s hard for you to believe if you didn’t experience it yourself. But it is a night and day difference.