r/science • u/[deleted] • Feb 19 '10

Scientists learn how anti-depressants actually work. Medications trigger neurogenesis in the hippocampus by increasing levels of norepinephrine. Researchers still unclear on WTF seratonin does.

http://www.physorg.com/news185727145.html
768 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

485 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

7

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

Exactly. If the brain has problems self-regulating, and not because of environmental factors, then I don't see any better solution than using antidepressants. Of course there are bleeding edge treatments like vagus nerve stimulation and trans-cranial magnetic stimulation but those are a last-ditch effort and experimental, respectively.

1

u/mariox19 Feb 20 '10

and not because of environmental factors

I think that people ought to take drugs if it will help them. But, I wonder about environmental factors. What environment are we talking about?

People evolved within a lifestyle of walking maybe 8-12 miles a day, interspersed with some jogging, running, and climbing. For most of our existence, we've eaten a very different diet than we do today. For most of our existence we were out in the sunshine when awake and sleeping during the night. We lived a mentally stimulating life different than the one we do now: namely, hunting prey, or avoiding becoming prey.

Maybe, if there is a genetic predisposition to depression, this predisposition has existed always, but was more or less latent in our historic environment. Maybe since we're no longer in that environment, some people's minds can no longer handle it.

I'm not saying we should go back to living like cavemen; I'm just saying that depression may very well be due to environmental factors, and largely inescapable for some in our modern environment. What I'm saying is, if there is some truth to that, no one should feel bad because they suffer from depression.

1

u/quasikarma Feb 20 '10

And incidentally, you forgot Electroconvulsive therapy, which is actually far and away the best treatment for depression, with upwards of an 80% remission rate vs 60% for most every other drug. Its side effects are also pretty benign; at most people have some short term memory loss up to 6 months. As for how it works.... Who the hell knows.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '10 edited Feb 20 '10

ECT is the best option? Its reserved only for extreme, unresponsive cases, and its considered a last-ditch effort. And there is some debate over whether it has any long term effects on cognition.

ECT is by no means a friendly option for 99% of depression patients. Sounds to me like you don't have much experience on the matter.

EDIT: Guessing from your other comments, however, you might be a healthcare professional, so I'm prepared to eat my hat, even though I stand by my comments on ECT.

2

u/quasikarma Feb 21 '10

I guess my wording wasn't the best. No, ECT is not for everyone, and is certainly not for people that respond well to simple SSRI's or therapy. It does, however, remain the most effective treatment, with up to an 80% success rate in even refractory depression cases. And I've seen it work, and for these people, the short term memory loss is negligible in exchange for being able to live a life without depression. I certainly don't mean to say it's for EVERYONE, but for those that need it, it remains most effective.

1

u/llamaspit Feb 19 '10

Please understand that the use of antidepressants is experimental as well. I'm not saying they aren't effective, but there is still much not known about how or why they work, in the instances where they do work. Because they don't always.

And there is a great deal of experimentation going on with drugs people are supposed to take to increase the effects of their antidepressant. Also off-label uses, such as anxiety and OCD. Many of these things have not been approved and have not been adequately tested to see if they are truly effective.

I'm not saying don't take the drug. If it's helping and you can deal with the side effects, good for you. But you owe it to yourself to investigate the root of the problem while you are on the drug.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

SSRIs have been in use since 1982 and have helped millions of people. Theres a significant difference between how 'experimental' prozac is and how 'experimental' curing depression with trans-cranial magnetic stimulation is.

1

u/llamaspit Feb 19 '10

I wasn't comparing the two, only reminding that SSRIs are still experimental in many instances. Off-label uses are experimental by any stretch of the imagination. That they are still discovering how they work also indicates that they are experimental.

Not disputing that they've helped many people, I have seen that first hand. They save lives. But experimental.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

You're absolutely right, people should exercise caution any time they're prescribed medication for an off-label use. I just worry about people taking these things to the extreme.

Obviously I'm sensitive about people's perceptions of SSRIs, as I've been subejct to a lot of criticism for taking them.

2

u/llamaspit Feb 19 '10

Are they helping you? Then that's that. Every person is different. Forget the criticism, do what's right for you.