In the 1990s, a warm welcome was provided for Zoloft and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) mainly for its ability to treat symptoms of depression with lesser side effects. For the treatment of major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and other related conditions, about 30 million Americans were prescribed with Zoloft (Sertraline) in 2007. Persons suffering the life-limiting consequences of depression turned to SSRIs as a lifesaving option.

However, several studies over the last 10 years have linked Zoloft to the increase risk of birth defects for infants whose mothers took the Pfizer manufactured Zoloft or other SSRIs during their pregnancy. A Zoloft birth defect lawyer is being contacted by a number of users due to the defects Zoloft allegedly cause. While Zoloft and other SSRIs successfully treat depression, these studies suggest that this is not the case during pregnancy.

The issue surrounding SSRIs became even more muddled especially with the tactics employed by big pharmaceuticals in marketing their antidepressant pills to both prescribers and consumers. The lengths that pharmaceuticals take forces the question “Are antidepressant medications really effective or are they no better than placebos?”

In a book by Irving Kirsch titled The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth, drug companies must submit to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all clinical trials they have sponsored in seeking approval to market a new drug. Double-blind and placebo-controlled are what these trials generally are. Two trials showing that the drug is effective than the placebo would merit approval. There is no limit to the number of trials a company may sponsor and could have negative results, which mean the drug is not effective. Two positive ones are all that is needed.

According to Kirsch, there are often many more trials than just the two positive ones needed to get approval but drug companies are not required to publish or otherwise make known the negative trial results. Meta-analyses of antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance.

Psychoactive drugs should not be taken as the best and often the only treatment for mental illness or emotional distress. {Both psychotherapy and exercise have been shown to be as effective as drugs for depression and their effects are longer-lasting, but unfortunately, there is no industry to push these alternatives. Alternatives such as psychotherapy and exercise have shown to be as effective as antidepressants and even have longer-lasting effect, however, both are not being pushed by industries.

It is not the best pill but a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or other trained professional who will listen and then hear and respond to a patient’s unique story, which is the most important in mental health.