One in five people have suffered or will suffer from depression in their lifetime according to theNational Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). It is a real mental illness, which is linked to a disturbance of the functioning of the brain – and not of its structure – which means that it is reversible if it is taken care of…
Serotonin involved
Currently, many treatments for depression aim to increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, such as those known as SSRIs… The reason is simple: for years, scientists have believed that this disease is linked to a chemical imbalance in the brains of patients. which affects the level and functioning of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin.
A challenged theory
A theory challenged by a new study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry because, according to the researchers, there would be no proof that a smaller quantity of serotonin is at the origin of depression. “The conclusion of our article is that we do not know what SSRI antidepressants are used for”, explains Joanna Moncrieff, psychiatrist, researcher at University College London and author of this new study.
Chronic and episodic depression
Nevertheless, some researchers qualify the results of this study. For Johan Lundberg, for example, it would be better to differentiate chronic depression from depressive episodes which also affect the functioning of the brain. “It is essential to analyze data separately from studies that examine the same patients when they are ill and when they are in remission, in order to have optimal conditions for examining the hypothesis, explains this Swedish researcher from the Karolinska Institute, New Scientist.
Placebo effect
“Admittedly, 5-HT is probably only one contributing factor to depression, insists Paul Albert, a neuroscientist at the University of Ottawa, in Canada at New Scientist. Given the important placebo effect in the treatment of depression, it is likely that the contribution of other systems, in particular dopamine which is involved in the placebo effect, is more important than that of 5-HT”.
How antidepressants work on patients depends on many things. But whatever the treatment decided, you must respect the dosage indicated by your doctor and, above all, do not stop the treatment without having spoken to him beforehand.
According to Inserm, treatments for depression are effective in 70% of cases.
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