Re: What do SSRIs 'actually' do?
I take sertraline for recurrent depression and I would urge anyone considering taking these drugs to spend time with their GP or psychiatrist discussing the pros and cons first. I do agree that they're handed out too quickly these days when other options like talking therapies and self-help should be explored first.
All drugs come with side effects. If you were to draw up a legal document for your doctor to sign accepting full responsibility for any serious side effects you may suffer, they wouldn't prescribe you a single drug. They all come with potential risk factors and the onus is on the person taking the drug to discuss this with their doctor.
Antidepressant medications are not a cure as some would like to believe. They can help motivate you to getting better though. And as for the placebo effect, well morphine, one of the most powerful painkillers, is also thought to owe a large part of its pain relieving properties to this. The important thing is that these drugs work for people - obviously not everyone though.
No one can decide for you. It's something you need to discuss at length with your doctor. But meds have helped me and continue to do so, and as Jane said, I think the positives outweigh the negatives for me.
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KK
Never Surrender, Comrade