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 .
The predictive value of the dexamethasone suppression test. A placebo-controlled study.
We evaluated the dexamethasone suppression test ( DST ) as a predictor of response to drugs and placebo in 105 patients , in a large double-blind placebo-controlled out-patient trial to determine the efficacy of paroxetine HCl , a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor , compared with that of imipramine HCl and placebo . The presence of a positive or negative DST did not predict response to either paroxetine or imipramine . However , a positive DST predicted a poorer response to placebo :  only 3 out of 18 patients who showed DST non-suppression responded to placebo , as opposed to 11 out of 21 who exhibited DST suppression ( P less than 0.05 ) . A positive DST was associated with a 61 % response to drugs and a 16 % response to placebo . This finding suggests that the presence of a positive DST implies the need for active somatic treatment
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 .