The following article has been taken as an excerpt from a article published by Christine O'Brien. Link to sources are found at the bottom of this article.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that antidepressants may be no better than a placebo for people with mild-to-moderate depression.

Such people accounted for about half of the participants in the study and they account for most of the people who go to their doctors seeking help for depression. . . The researchers say that Paxil and other SSRIs selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, commonly prescribed chemicals such as Prozac and Zoloft for treating depression are not likely to be any different from the drugs used in the study.

Previously, industry funded studies have found that these drugs dramatically reduce symptoms. But there are many studies buried or not published right away that support the results of this latest one. . .

Despite the evidence that people with mild-to-moderate depression don't get any more out of antidepressants than they do out of a placebo, drug industry experts are saying there's really no reason not to try them.

... Besides the fact that they've just been shown not to work too well for these patients. Paxil and other SSRIs have been associated with some pretty nasty side effects like suicidal thoughts as well as anxiety and trouble sleeping. And this past December, some pretty frightening results from the Women's Health Initiative Study were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine--results showing that antidepressants dramatically raised the risk of stroke and death in women over 50.

Depression is serious. But drugs are not the only option. . .

See the original research at:

Health e-Tips, Nutrition and Healing, Jan. 20, 2010
Journal of American Medical Association
Severely Depressed Gain Most from Antidepressants
Popular Drugs May Help Only Severe Depression, The New York Times