SSRI antidepressants are often 'carelessly prescribed'

Published 7 June 2026 · health

SSRIs, like Prozac and Zoloft, are among the world's most-prescribed psychiatric drugs. These antidepressants help a lot of people. But they don't always work. In

SSRIs, like Prozac and Zoloft, are among the world's most-prescribed psychiatric drugs. These antidepressants help a lot of people. But they don't always work. In fact, some experts suggest they are overprescribed. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are among the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world. Drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro are used to treat depression and anxiety disorders in millions of people. But some experts believe we have become over reliant on such drugs and that that has led some doctors to treat ordinary human distress as a medical illness. "We have medicalized all emotional distress," said Allen Frances, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine in the US. "Eighty percent of antidepressants in the US are carelessly prescribed by rushed primary doctors as an easy way to get patients out of the office in 15 minutes," Frances told DW. "There is not a pill for every psychological and social problem," he said. What do selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) do? As their name suggests, SSRIs inhibit, or block, the reuptake (also known as "absorption") of serotonin. Inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin increases its levels in the body. When serotonin levels are low, it can disrupt a person's emotional well-being. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger that carries signals between nerve cells throughout the body. It is one of four so-called happiness hormones, and the one most associated with stabilizing mood. It regulates anxiety and sleep cycles, and creates an overall sense of well-being.

"We know that in depression, if you use SSRIs, you increase the amount of serotonin that cells can use to communicate. And this is the first step," said Carmine Pariante, a professor of Biological Psychiatry at King's College London, UK. "Serotonin is a chemical that brain cells use to talk to each other. It is particularly important for emotions," Pariante said. So, maintaining a healthy level of serotonin is considered essential for fending off, or managing depression. "The person starts appraising the world around them," said Pariante, "so, they become less negative about it." But some experts say depression involves more factors than just the one chemical imbalance — low serotonin levels — in the brain. Are antidepressants overprescribed? Joanna Moncrieff has long argued that SSRIs are overprescribed. "Psychiatry allowed people to believe that depression was caused by a serotonin deficiency and that antidepressants reversed this, even though this had not been proven," said Moncrieff, a professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, UK. "There was never strong evidence — some findings here and there but never a consistent picture," Moncrieff told DW, adding that their apparent effectiveness may instead result from a placebo effect. That's when the simple act of taking a medication leads the person to believe it is helping, when in reality, it's having zero effect. Most psychiatrists and organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association reject the idea that SSRIs are mainly effective as a placebo.