All articles tagged with #antidepressants
A large population-based study found no definitive link between maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism in offspring after adjusting for maternal mental health, genetics, and other factors, suggesting antidepressants in pregnancy are not clearly associated with autism risk, though further research is warranted.
A large meta-analysis of over half a million pregnancies found no significant link between maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism or ADHD in children after adjusting for maternal mental health and other factors; any initial signals disappeared when confounders were controlled. The findings support continuing antidepressant treatment for moderate-to-severe depression during pregnancy, though decisions should be individualized with a clinician and study limitations include missing socioeconomic and lifestyle data.
A Lancet Psychiatry meta-analysis of 37 studies with over 600,000 pregnancies found that prenatal antidepressant exposure has little to no association with ADHD or autism after adjusting for genetics and family factors; older antidepressants may show small links, but overall the findings reassure the safety of contemporary antidepressants during pregnancy, while highlighting the risks of untreated maternal depression.
In a May 10 interview on Face the Nation, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship presents low transmission risk but could yield additional cases as repatriations continue and the incubation window plays out; he criticizes ongoing leadership turnover and staff losses at the FDA, defends the continued use of antidepressants when properly prescribed and warns against abrupt stopping, and rejects ivermectin as an effective treatment while urging reliance on medical guidance.
At a MAHA event, RFK Jr. announced steps to curb SSRI prescribing, repeating debunked claims that antidepressants are as addictive as heroin. Experts say the comparison is unfounded and emphasize careful, evidence-based deprescribing. The plan includes clinician training, a Dear Colleague letter, and CMS guidance with a new billing code to help taper patients off meds, but medical groups warn against framing mental-health care as overmedicalization and cite access issues.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a federal plan to curb antidepressant prescribing, with the Department of Health and Human Services promoting deprescribing and the use of nonpharmacological treatments (psychotherapy, diet, exercise, social connection) when appropriate. The plan includes provider guidance and reimbursements for deprescribing, while the APA welcomed the focus but warned that deprescribing alone won't fix access and workforce gaps in mental health care. A 2025 survey found ~17% of Americans use antidepressants, and Kennedy has claimed—without evidence—that SSRIs contribute to school shootings.
A large, nearly 20-year study of 650,000+ US adults with IBS linked long-term antidepressant use to about a 35% higher risk of death and showed the anti-diarrheal drugs loperamide and diphenoxylate associated with roughly double the risk, though the study notes it shows association, not causation, and the overall individual risk remains low; findings prompt personalized treatment and more long-term safety research.
A Danish nationwide cohort study of more than 4 million adults found that longer antidepressant use is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, with adjusted hazards of 1.41 for 1–5 years and 1.74 for six or more years; current users face the highest risk, though the study cannot prove causality due to its observational design and potential residual confounding. The findings suggest a time-dependent risk across antidepressant subclasses, and further research is needed to clarify causality and mechanisms.
BBC analysis shows about 70,000 under-18s in England are prescribed antidepressants each year, with guidelines urging psychiatrist assessment first. But long waits for specialist help have some GPs prescribing or starting treatment outside guidelines to avoid leaving patients untreated, while others refuse. Antidepressants are used for depression, anxiety, bedwetting and pain and can have side effects; the NHS notes workforce growth but record demand remains, prompting calls for more accompanying mental health support and timely CAMHS access.
A new meta-analysis of 24 trials finds psychedelics can help treat depression but are not more effective than open-label traditional antidepressants, suggesting biases and placebo effects may have inflated earlier hype.
Vox’s Future Perfect explainer argues that long-term SSRI use raises questions about ongoing need, with withdrawal and dependence being real but distinct from addiction. It emphasizes careful, individualized tapering when stopping, notes that best tapering protocols are not yet established, and urges empathetic clinician guidance and more deprescribing research to help people decide whether to stay on meds or discontinue.
A Vox Future Perfect column explores whether long‑term antidepressants change who we are, noting that the science shows antidepressants help some people more than placebo but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. It introduces a framework of ‘medication career’ and ‘moral career’ to frame decisions alongside a clinician, argues there isn’t a single fixed ‘true self,’ and emphasizes weighing benefits against costs. If stopping is pursued, the piece urges gradual tapering with professional guidance and awareness of withdrawal and dependence versus addiction.
In her first staff address, FDA’s top drug regulator Tracy Beth Høeg pledges tougher safety monitoring of antidepressants used in pregnancy and RSV monoclonal antibodies for infants, signaling a broader push to reexamine oversight and encouraging staff to question norms.
Russia is experiencing a sharp rise in antidepressant use amid the ongoing war with Ukraine and economic strain, with 2025 sales totaling about 22.3–23.5 million packages—roughly a 36% rise from 2024 and well above pre-pandemic levels—as the pharmaceutical market grows to around $273 million; experts warn antidepressants are sometimes overused and advocate psychotherapy as a first line of treatment, highlighting the war’s broad emotional toll on daily life.
Antidepressants have helped some people for decades, but research shows they often provide only modest relief overall, with no reliable way to predict who will benefit. The history traces from iproniazid and imipramine to SSRIs and beyond, while meta-analyses indicate small improvements over placebo and low remission rates for many drugs. Ketamine offers rapid relief for some with treatment-resistant depression, challenging the idea that depression is a simple chemical imbalance. Precision psychiatry aims to tailor treatments via blood tests and genetic or neural markers, but this approach is still years away from routine practice. The field continues to wrestle with what depression actually is and how to best help the millions affected.