Recent discussions surrounding the long-term use of antidepressant medications, which affect around one in nine adults in the U.S., have intensified. In 2019, a study from two British researchers noted that more than half of patients experienced withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation, with nearly half of those suffering from severe effects. This caused widespread concern, influenced changes in psychiatric training, and sparked movements to limit psychotropic drug prescriptions, especially with the emergence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a prominent health figure in the U.S.
However, a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry argues that these warnings may be overstated. The authors observed that while patients reported symptoms like dizziness and nausea after stopping antidepressants, the severity of these symptoms was generally within the "sub-clinical" range. Dr. Sameer Jauhar, a psychiatry professor at Imperial College London and one of the study’s authors, emphasized that the findings from 2019 failed to withstand scientific scrutiny. He believes the new results should offer reassurance to both patients and healthcare providers regarding the withdrawal process of antidepressants.
