Fears that tablets for depression don’t actually help

MEDICATION to treat depression has been questioned by scientists who found there is ‘no convincing evidence’ the condition is caused by low levels of serotonin.

every year millions in england are prescribed antidepressants which are thought to work by correcting a chemical imbalance.

But a review of existing studies found the condition is likely not caused by low levels of serotonin – a chemical which occurs naturally in the body – and concluded people should be made aware of other treatments.

But other experts, including from the royal College of Psychiatrists (rCP), urged people not to stop taking their medication – arguing that antidepressants are effective.

NHS figures show there were 8.3million patients in england taking antidepressants in 2021/22 – a 6 per cent increase on the previous year.

Overall, an estimated 83.4million antidepressant drug items were prescribed in 2021/22, a 5 per cent jump from last year.

A team led by University College London researchers looked at studies involving tens of thousands of people examining the link between serotonin and depression.

The results, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, did not find any difference between those diagnosed with depression and healthy people in research that compared levels of serotonin and its breakdown products in the blood or brain fluids.

Lead author Joanna Moncrieff, a professor of psychiatry, said: ‘There is no convincing evidence depression is caused by serotonin abnormalities.

‘Thousands of people suffer from side-effects of antidepressants yet prescription rates continue to rise.

‘We believe this situation has been driven partly by the false belief that depression is due to a chemical imbalance.’

A spokesman for the rCP said it would not recommend anyone to stop taking their antidepressants based on the review, adding: ‘Antidepressants will vary in effectiveness for different people.’