Unfulfilled promise of antidepressant medications

An article recently published in the Medical Journal of Australia asserts that antidepressants may not be as effective as we thought, especially when used in isolation from other treatments. 

The authors of The unfulfilled promise of the antidepressant medications state, "We need more effective treatments for depression, because current treatments avert less than half of the considerable burden caused by the illness." Despite this, the use of antidepressants in Australia has doubled since the year 2000.  It is suggested that combining the use of antidepressants with psychotherapy and lifestyle modifications is the most useful way to treat moderate to severe depression. 

Christopher G. Davey, Andrew M. Chanen   Med J Aust 2016; 204 (9): 348-350.

doi: 10.5694/mja16.00194