Botox to replace depression pills

iNJectiNg ‘Botox’ into frown lines can be as effective for depression as antidepressants, according to a study in the journal Brain and Behavior.

Patients given botulinum toxin jabs showed a reduction of nearly 30 per cent in their symptoms, compared with a 24 per cent reduction in the group given the widely prescribed antidepressant sertraline.

they also had fewer side-effects. it’s thought the effects are due to ‘facial feedback’, the idea that a facial expression (frowning in this case) feeds back to the emotional side of the brain. So blocking that feedback, with the botulinum toxin jabs, prevents frowning, leading to a drop in depression symptoms.