These articles are valuable components of the overall research still ongoing to understand mental health and related pharmacotherapies. They have value. They are not showing serotonin is unrelated to depression.

First “major depressive disorder” is substantially stronger diagnosis than more commonly diagnosed depression.

Second, even among this subset of patients, “SSRIs significantly reduced the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.” Their initial overall finding was significant decrease in depression (on multiple measurement scales).

They also found increase in adverse episodes (30/1000 in treated versus 22/1000 placebo), which is a known risk with serotonin-related treatments. This risk should not be ignored, for sure. However that risk doesn’t erase the benefit of treatment in some patients, it adds a secondary factor. It is certainly valid for the authors (and other scientists and physicians) to have the opinion that the risks do not outweigh the benefits, however that isn’t the subject of the study, nor is that type of opinion factual. The risks of adverse events is higher in “major depressive disorder”, and so their opinion is based upon a very focused study that only includes the stronger depressive disorder.

The serotonin model is not dead, nor is new data showing it to be dead. The serotonin model is as yet incomplete. The benefits of treatment is not fully understood in concert with risks to each patient.

Edit: fixed typo “sowing” to “showing”. Oops.

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