Major International Reaction To Brit Anti-Depressant Study, Near Silence In US

As I'm sure most of you could guess, there's been some very heated reaction around the world to Monday's PLoS paper which asserted that Prozac, Paxil, Effexor and Serzone performed only as well as placebo in trials submitted to the FDA for approval of the drugs. What's been discouraging is to see the lack of response by the mainstream media in this country, especially by those major news outlets which have dedicated reporters writing about mental health issues. This is a major study and a major bit of news that confirms both the landmark paper in the New England Journal of Medicine in January as well as several previous small studies that asserted much the same thing.

Elsewhere in the world, reactions are split, as you might imagine, between shock that such drugs could be marketed for so long that were apparently of little effect in many cases and warnings to not dump the pills and make sure you talk with your doctor. While I understand the "see your doctor" line most of the time, I'm not sure it makes much sense in this case. Most doctors barely read academic journals to begin with--this is sadly true--so what would they have to add to a patient's decision-making process.

Here's a round-up:

First, GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Paxil fire back at the study: "GSK hits back over 'alarmist' antidepressant analysis"

From the UK:

"The creation of the Prozac myth"

"Q&A: Anti-depressants study"

The Telegraph offers two personal accounts and a doc saying he's seen anti-depressants save lives

And that's just a sample of the Brit press today. I'll come back to the Brit blogs soon.

From Canada:

"Study finds antidepressants no better than sugar pills"

From Australia:

"Experts support anti-depressants"

From New Zealand:

"Greens call for review after drug study shock"

From the US:

On a personal level, I am stunned that in Seattle--the most depressed city in America--that neither of the daily newspapers ran so much as an AP wire account of the study--at least as far as I know. That's weird. But then the New York Times has been mum to date as well. That's even weirder. I am so looking forward to Judith Warner's column this Friday. How much you want to bet that she says that the study is fake but proves that anti-depressants are good for growing boys?

Not so the Washington Post, which has a decent article.

There was this odd piece on the Huffington Post.

Soulful Sepulcher goes after the study here. CL Psych points out that we've seen news like this before. Psych Central offers its take. Mind Hacks has its go.

Speaking of go, I posted my thoughts on the study yesterday over at Daily Kos where some readers were wildly defensive of anti-depressants.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at February 27, 2008 02:58 PM
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