The Problem with SSRI’s in Treating Depression

SSRI’s, (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft,  have been around for more than 50 years and have been readily prescribed to treat mild to moderate depression, even though their effectiveness is questionable.  The idea behind SSRI’s is that depression is ’caused’ by a lack of serotonin in the synapses between brain cells.  It was thought that SSRI’s would increase the amount of serotonin by  inhibiting the process of cellular re-absorbtion.  However, recent research has shown that the brains of people with depression do not have less serotonin than neuro-typical brains, but more!  So, in effect, those people taking SSRI’s are making things worse, which could help explain why those taking SSRI’s for the first time feel more depressed the first two weeks after starting SSRI’s.  Click here to read more of the research.  Is there an alternative to depression meds?  Absolutely!  How about teaching the brain to function better?  We do this with Neurofeedback.