My understanding is that with SSRIs it's not the drug itself that helps but rather the repercussions of developing a "tolerance" to the drug. Trying to remembe

My understanding is that with SSRIs it's not the drug itself that helps but rather the repercussions of developing a "tolerance" to the drug. Trying to remember what a neuroscience friend of mine said; your brain, like your body, tries to reach some sort of homeostasis. Inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin results in there being more serotonin in the brain, resulting in your brain changing somehow to handle this serotonin. These changes take time to develop, thus the delay on the impact of ssris. Generally, consistent use of any drug will cause these longer term changes in the brain. Since your body is trying to find homeostasis, these changes reduce the impact of the acute effect of the drug, thus the experience of tolerance. The experience of withdrawal is a side effect of having these changes without the acute effect of the drug.