A controversial study in the Journal of the American Medical Association claims that popular drugs that are widely prescribed for depression only work in severe cases.

• Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studied 728 adults after ranking their symptoms of depression.
  
• Those with moderate or minor depression receive little benefit from drugs like Lexapro, Prozac, or Paxil, which did not work better than sugar pills.
  
• However, those with severe depression, did benefit from the drugs.

"I think this study could dampen enthusiasm for anti-depression medications a bit , and that may be a good thing," said Dr. Erick Turner, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University. "People's expectations for the drugs will not be so high, and doctors won't be surprised if they are not curing every patient they see with medication."

Labels: antidepressants, depression, research