Psychiatrists have been aware for years that low serotonin levels may not cause depression, despite continuing to prescribe the pills, a chair of psychology has said.
Dr Jonathan Raskin, from State University of New York, told DailyMail.com he’d been concerned that the theory that depression was caused by low serotonin levels was ‘incomplete’ for ‘a while’.
But he said many medics continued to prescribe the medication, even while they were unsure if they were effective, because it was ‘easier’ than offering more time-intensive care.
The pills could still help some patients, he added, but they are not a ‘cure-all’ for those suffering from depression.
This week a landmark UK study called into question society’s ever-growing reliance on antidepressants like Prozac.
The $15billion-a-year industry — set to grow to $21billion in the next decade — sees patients prescribed pills like Prozac on the promise they will cure people’s depression by raising levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain.
But after reviewing 17 major studies scientists at University College London said they found no convincing evidence that a lack of this chemical sparked the condition.
Just like a quart of Sea Foam in your gas tank won’t cure that crack in your engine block.