Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature

PLoS Medicine: Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature: "In the United States, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are advertised directly to consumers [1]. These highly successful direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) campaigns have largely revolved around the claim that SSRIs correct a chemical imbalance caused by a lack of serotonin (see Tables 1 and 2). For instance, sertraline (Zoloft) was the sixth best-selling medication in the US in 2004, with over $3 billion in sales [2] likely due, at least in part, to the widely disseminated advertising campaign starring Zoloft's miserably depressed ovoid creature. Research has demonstrated that class-wide SSRI advertising has expanded the size of the antidepressant market [3], and SSRIs are now among the best-selling drugs in medical practice [2]."/.../

Perspectives on the Efficacy of Antidepressants for Child and Adolescent Depression

PLoS Medicine: Perspectives on the Efficacy of Antidepressants for Child and Adolescent Depression: "Practitioners of pediatric medicine may still be undecided as to whether the newer generation of antidepressant drugs is effective for child and adolescent depression (CAD) [1]. Since 1989, when selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were introduced in the United States, they have become the top-selling drug category; as many as one in eight adult Americans having tried at least one SSRI in the past ten years. Despite their popularity in treating adult depression, the efficacy of SSRIs for CAD remains in dispute. In this article, I examine some of the core problems in medical research that have led to this disagreement."

the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)

Download Your Copy of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ): "

Hirschfeld, et al, conducted a large-scale community screening for DSM-IV bipolar I and II disorders. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), a validated screening tool for bipolar I and II disorders, was sent to a sample of > 125,000 adults in the United States.
Of the adults identified as screening positive for bipolar I and II disorders, only 20% had previously received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. 31% had received a diagnosis of unipolar depression.
Almost 50% of respondents reported receiving no diagnosis of either unipolar depression or bipolar disorder"/.../