Depression
Are placebos necessary to test new antidepressants and anxiolytics? – (04-16-03)
Are placebos necessary to test new antidepressants and anxiolytics?
While I’ve always believed that natural approaches are more powerful and safer in the long run than drugs for psychological intervention, I usually contend that there are patients that need them. Well, I am seriously beginning to question whether many of the drugs have any effect at all. This review evaluated over 10,000 depressed patients in 52 clinical trials and 8340 anxious patients in 40 trials and found the drugs more effective than placebo LESS THAN HALF THE TIME!!! So basically, a large chuck of these drugs out today are worthless. Actually, I would put them well below worthless–worthless things don’t earn long lists of side effects worse than the psychological state the patient began with.
Cambridge Journals Online – CUP Abstract Page
