> though it's true, some work no more effective than a placebo
Do you have a citation for this? What drugs on the market today are "no more effective than placebo?"
There are many studies. Here's one:
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185157
This study found that SSRIs provided little to no benefit over placebo for patients suffering from mild to moderate depression. SSRIs did provide a benefit to patients suffering from severe depression.
This raises the question, how many of the 30+ million Americans currently prescribed anti-depressants actually suffer from severe depression and benefit from the drugs? How many are taking it unnecessarily, subjecting themselves to unintended side effects and eventual withdrawal symptoms.
Re:The psychiatric drug crisis
by phren0logy on Sunday September 08, 2013 @12:44PM
(#6349267)
You ignore people who take it for anxiety, where SSRI are uncontrovertibly effective.
Placebo effect is certainly an effect. But the claim is not that the drugs don't have an effect (though it's true, some work no more effective than a placebo), but that we have no sound explanation for their effects.