This JAMA reported study concludes “The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate symptoms. For patients with very severe depression, the benefit of medications over placebo is substantial.”
The New York Times reports on this study and adds comments from Dr. Erick H. Turner, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University as follows:
“I think the study could dampen enthusiasm for antidepressant medications a bit, and that may be a good thing,” said . “People’s expectations for the drugs won’t be so high, and doctors won’t be surprised if they’re not curing every patient they see with medications.”
But Dr. Turner added, “The findings shouldn’t dampen expectations so much that people refuse to even try medication.”
The full article is available at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/303/1/47?home