What If Everything You Thought You Knew About Antidepressants Was Wrong?

The Truth About Antidepressants: What You Deserve to Know

Lisa M. Lindeman, Ph.D. | February 2025

For decades, we’ve been told a simple story: Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, and antidepressants correct this imbalance. But what if that story was never supported by the science? What if antidepressants don’t work the way we were led to believe?

Recent research challenges long-held assumptions about depression and antidepressants. This article is not about blaming anyone or shaming those who take medication—it’s about empowering you with the full picture so you can make informed decisions about your mental well-being.

What If Depression Isn’t a Chemical Imbalance?

For years, you may have heard that depression is caused by a serotonin imbalance in the brain. This theory was widely promoted by pharmaceutical companies, but even mainstream psychiatry is now walking it back:

Psychiatrist and researcher, Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, writes: “Although antidepressants are regarded as effective and specific treatments, they are barely superior to placebo in randomised trials, and differences are unlikely to be clinically relevant.”

If the serotonin theory was never proven, then what exactly are antidepressants doing?

Do Antidepressants Actually Work?

Millions take antidepressants believing they are receiving a medically necessary treatment. But how much of their effect is real, and how much is placebo?

A placebo is something that looks like medicine but contains no identifiable medicine, like a sugar pill. When people take placebos, their belief in the “medicine” results in actual changes in their body, such as increased activation of mu-opioid receptors in the brain. Beliefs and hope, in other words, impact the chemicals in your brain!

What the Studies Show:

In clinical trials, antidepressants barely outperform placebos. Many people who take fake pills report the same level of improvement as those taking real drugs.

Even when antidepressants do provide relief, they don’t fix a biological cause—they change brain chemistry in unpredictable ways.

Ask Yourself: If antidepressants are the answer, why hasn’t depression declined despite record-high prescriptions?

The Hidden Reality: Antidepressant Withdrawal

Many people are told they can simply stop taking antidepressants when they feel better. When they try to quit, however, they experience withdrawal symptoms that can last weeks, months, or even years.

Common Withdrawal Symptoms:

  • Brain zaps (electric shock sensations in the head)
  • Dizziness and nausea
  • Panic attacks and extreme anxiety
  • Depression worse than before
  • Insomnia and fatigue
  • Suicidal thoughts

Many doctors misinterpret these withdrawal symptoms as a “relapse” of depression, leading people to stay on antidepressants indefinitely. What if the problem isn’t returning depression—but the drug itself?

Why Were We Told a False Story?

Antidepressants are a $17 billion industry.1 Pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in ensuring that as many people as possible take antidepressants for as long as possible. The same companies that pushed opioids as “safe” also marketed antidepressants as a cure for depression.

❌ Most drug trials are funded by the companies selling the drugs.

❌ Negative studies are often hidden from the public.

❌ Doctors receive their information from pharmaceutical reps, not independent sources.

If you were never told the full truth, it’s not your fault. But now, you have the power to learn more.

What Can You Do Instead?

If antidepressants aren’t the answer, what is? The good news is that real healing is possible. Many people find relief from depression through approaches that address the root causes rather than numbing symptoms.

What if your depression is not a disorder, but a signal from your life that something needs to change?

Improving Life Circumstances

Whenever possible, find ways to address loneliness, financial stress, and unfulfilling work. Of course, some circumstances are beyond our control. When you cannot change what is happening, ask for help. Seek support, and focus on what you can do.

Therapy and Emotional Support

Various types of therapy, support groups, and other forms of social and emotional support can lessen the impact of difficult life circumstances.

Building Community

Creating and joining community groups can improve mental health and reduce depression.2

Creating Purpose

A sense of meaning and purpose in life are linked to less depression and anxiety.3

Mindfulness and Stress Reduction

Meditation, breathing exercises, and time in nature are also powerful methods for easing the impact of life events that are beyond our control.

Exercise and Movement

Exercise has been proven to be as effective as antidepressants for many people.

Lowering Inflammation

Research has shown a link between depression and chronic, low-grade inflammation.4 Some instances of depression may be caused by inflammation.

Good Nutrition

The gut-brain connection is a powerful factor in mental well-being.

Take the Next Step: You Deserve the Truth

The pharmaceutical industry does not get the final say on your well-being. You deserve to know the real story about antidepressants and the many paths to healing.

Share this page with someone who deserves to know the truth.

Explore resources on alternative ways to heal.

Join the conversation. You are not alone in questioning the mainstream narrative.

Dig Deeper

If you’d like to read some of the key research, the following journal articles are available online in full:

The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence
Authors: Joanna Moncrieff and others
Molecular Psychiatry, 2022

A systematic review into the incidence, severity and duration of antidepressant withdrawal effects: Are guidelines evidence-based?
Authors: James Davies and John Read
Addictive Behaviors, 2019

Antidepressants and the placebo effect
Author: Irving Kirsch
Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 2014

Antidepressants versus placebo in major depression: an overview
Authors: Arif Khan and Walter Brown
World Psychiatry, 2015

The truth is out. More people are learning what the science says about depression and antidepressants. Will you be one of them?

Footnotes

  1. https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/antidepressant-global-market-report ↩︎
  2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10314672/ ↩︎
  3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.23576 ↩︎
  4. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1282242/full ↩︎