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a_stoic_sage t1_iv6geui wrote

At the same time, haven't there been recent studies suggesting SSRI's may not work as intended and might be placebo effect?

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WilyStylyMethody t1_iv6h1xu wrote

I believe the most recent one I read posited that while it was unclear whether or not Serotonin re-uptake had a meaningful effect on depression, that there was still a change in neuroplasticity that made it easier for the brain to rewire(or repair?) certain neural pathways, which in turn made it easier for the patients to eliminate certain negative patterns associated with their depression.

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a_stoic_sage t1_iv6hp67 wrote

Can't placebo effect rewire or repair certain neural pathways? If you think you are feeling better, you are rewiring your brain?

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westderecho t1_iv76y9b wrote

SSRIs exert a neurogenic effect on the hippocampus and increase the amount of neurotrophic factors there, and also alter the count/ratio of certain serotonin receptors.

To my knowledge this behavior isn't readily found in placebo trials when comparing against SSRIs, and a placebo would not be able to target a certain region.

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WilyStylyMethody t1_iv6js8e wrote

That I'm not sure of. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chip in here.

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KaanyeSouth t1_iv6ntqh wrote

I think the study found that depression is not caused by low serotonin levels. So if ssri's do work, they dont know why. So yes it might be placebo, nobody knows atm.

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Possumsurprise t1_iv769hf wrote

I was under the impression that milder cases of depression may not be that responsive to SSRIs but with more severity a benefit becomes apparent.

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