What depression is, and what it isn't

A full read

Before we start

This is general information about depression, not advice about anyone's own treatment. It does not tell you to start, stop or change a medication. Stopping an antidepressant suddenly can cause real withdrawal effects, so that conversation belongs with a doctor. If you are in danger right now, please contact your local emergency number or a crisis line instead of reading on.

Sources

Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA (2022) — The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence, Molecular Psychiatry
A reply signed by 36 researchers, Molecular Psychiatry (2023) — the dispute over that review
Cipriani A et al. (2018) — Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs, The Lancet (522 trials, ~117,000 people)
Cuijpers P et al. — direct comparisons of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, and the effect of combining them (World Psychiatry; meta-analyses)
Kemp JJ, Lichtenstein JD, Lebowitz MS et al. — chemical-imbalance feedback, prognostic pessimism, and the durable effect of emphasising malleability