How do depression treating drugs (SSRIs in particular) work?

Answer 1

depression is cognitive based, therefore psychiatrists could give patients placebos and tell them that they're anti-depressants and the placebos would work equally as good! i heard on the news since the introduction of anti depressants, suicide rates have NOT gone down. yet for people with mild depression, the medication DOES work? perhaps that's because they only think they're happier, and when you think you're happier you are happier. the idea that anti depressants don't really work would also explain why suicide rates have not gone down, someone who is truly suicidal isn't going to think that the medication would help him, thus it won't. someone with mild depression would think the medication will help them, hence, it will (because depression is a cognitive disorder, the only way to treat it is through cognitive means; placebos could be used that way, placebos have been proven to treat lots of things for this same reason)

seratonin seems to be a result of depression itself, not the cause of it. (and a result of depression that does nothing about the depression when treated)

Answer 2

SSRI's are used to treat depression, anxiety, chronic pain, smoking cessation, bulimia, and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) along with psychotherapy by preventing the re-uptake of dopamine, noepinephrine, and serotonin by presynaptic neurons in the central nervous system.

Answer 3

Depression is caused by an imbalance of a brain chemical called seratonin. Depression meds help correct this imbalance.

Answer 4

My psych says "its not an exact science" and the pharmaceutical pamphlets all say they dont know how it works. It just "does", so you have to have "faith". they have a general idea outlined by the other posters

isnt that ridiculous?

Answer 5

thay increas the flow of saritonin to your brane