5.3.10

The drugs just don't work...or do they?



Are anti-depressants just expensive Tic-Tacs, no better at treating depression than a placebo? Press reports of recent studies suggest just that: the drugs just don't work. But, as always its a bit more complicated than that. The research actually suggests that the drugs do work but mainly for people with severe depression.

The first link is to a short
Scientific-American article that summarises the do they don't they work debate.

The second link is to a longer analysis from
Newsweek.

The third link is to an interesting analysis of one of the most recently published studies in the
Journal of the American medical association.

What implications does this research have for the biological explanation of depression? What implications does this research have for biological therapies in terms of their effectiveness and appropriateness? Plenty of AO2/AO3 material in these articles. Why not read one and turn it into a short paragraph? Could come in useful for a Unit 4 psychopathology essay in the exam.

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