SSRIs significantly increase the risk of both serious and non-serious adverse events .
The potential small beneficial effects seem to be outweighed by harmful effects .
Background The evidence on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) for major depressive disorder is unclear .
Methods Our objective was to conduct a systematic review assessing the effects of SSRIs versus placebo , ‘ active ’ placebo , or no intervention in adult participants with major depressive disorder .
Short-term SSRI treatment normalises amygdala hyperactivity in depressed patients
Background Antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) remediate negative biases in emotional processing in depressed patients in both behavioural and neural outcome measures . However , it is not clear if these effects occur before , or as a consequence of , changes in clinical state . Method In the present study , we investigated the effects of short-term SSRI treatment in depressed patients on the neural response to fearful faces prior to clinical improvement in mood . Altogether , 42 unmedicated depressed patients received SSRI treatment ( 10 mg escitalopram daily ) or placebo in a r and omised , parallel-group design . The neural response to fearful and happy faces was measured on day 7 of treatment using functional magnetic resonance imaging .  A group of healthy controls was imaged in the same way . Results Amygdala responses to fearful facial expressions were significantly greater in depressed patients compared to healthy controls . However , this response was normalised in patients receiving 7 days treatment with escitalopram . There was no significant difference in clinical depression ratings at 7 days between the escitalopram and placebo-treated patients . Conclusions Our results suggest that short-term SSRI treatment in depressed patients remediates amygdala hyperactivity in response to negative emotional stimuli prior to clinical improvement in depressed mood . This supports the hypothesis that the clinical effects of antidepressant treatment may be mediated in part through early changes in emotional processing . Further studies will be needed to show if these early effects of antidepressant medication predict eventual clinical outcome
SSRIs significantly increase the risk of both serious and non-serious adverse events .
The potential small beneficial effects seem to be outweighed by harmful effects .
Background The evidence on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) for major depressive disorder is unclear .
Methods Our objective was to conduct a systematic review assessing the effects of SSRIs versus placebo , ‘ active ’ placebo , or no intervention in adult participants with major depressive disorder .