A study on the causes of depression causes controversy

A British study that questions the effectiveness of chemical antidepressants has sparked a heated debate in the scientific community, where there is no clear consensus on the origins of this disease.

“Our study (…) questions the idea behind the use of antidepressants” psychiatrists Joanna Moncrieff and Mark Horowitz stated on The Conversation site at the end of July, after their study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

This study criticizes the hypothesis of serotonin, an essential molecule for the transmission of emotions in the brain.

The hypothesis, in force in the last decades and which has served for a vast scientific literature, assumes that a person who does not produce enough serotonin needs chemical support.

This new study, based on a compilation of previous publications and therefore more solid than an isolated study, concludes that this link between a serotonin deficit and the onset of depression is not decisive.

The presentation of the research, by Joanna Moncrieff, a psychiatrist known for her skepticism about biological explanations for depression, has drawn criticism.

“Overall I agree with the authors’ conclusions but do not share their unshakable certainty,” British psychiatrist Phil Cowen told the Science Media Center.

“No mental health professional” would dare to say that a problem as complex as depression “arises from a single neurotransmitter,” says Cowen.

Some critics point out that this new compilation by psychiatrists does not directly measure the level of serotonin but rather its indirect presence.

Moncrieff, who is a scathing critic of the pharmaceutical industry, he counters that the psychiatric community is still dominated by the serotonin theory.

“There are eminent psychiatrists who are beginning to doubt the link between depression and serotonin deficiency, but no one has bothered to warn the public,” this author jokes on her blog.

– Model Confrontation –

For the Swiss psychiatrist Michel Hofmann, it is the authors of this new study who go one step further. From questioning the link between serotonin and depression, they go on to suggest that antidepressants should not be used.

“It’s a serious study (…) but I don’t think it’s an article that has a short-term impact on the prescription of antidepressants,” this expert told AFP.

Moncrieff points out, however, that does not advise abruptly stopping antidepressants.

Hofmann, as well as many other psychiatrists, remember that these drugs have proven effective in alleviating depression, whatever the origin of the disease.

“The mechanisms of the medications used in the treatment of depression are generally multiple and in most cases it is not known precisely what makes a treatment effective,” he explains.

The serotonin debate illustrates the mystery surrounding a complex disease, one of the most important for its impact on Western societies.

“We continue at the hypothesis level, we continue to investigate and confront the models” concludes Hofmann.