This is the first honest article I've read on the subject of serotonin and neurotransmitters in years. It basically concludes what very few people seem to be aware of: that we do not know what causes depression or anxiety nor do we know how SSRIs, SSNRIs, or other similar chemicals work. There are, at best, hypothesis, generally untestable. The idea of chemical "imbalances" in the brain is, as it has been since its inception, complete and utter bullshit. The reality is current medical science simply doesn't know, the marketers make the rest up, and for some reason, most doctors play along. That's how you get to the popular and completely wrong idea that serotonin is the "happy" brain chemical. (Of course, if you're aware of the lack of capability in most people to process complex ideas, you could easily guess that such a simplistic idea has to be wrong simply from the number of people who talk about it like it's real.)
Indeed! We still don't understand the causes of anxiety and depression, and yet far too many doctors simply went along with the "chemical imbalance" narrative.
SSRIs and related medications can be wonderful tools, but that proves nothing re: causality and the best long term treatment. Sadly, this battle was lost a long time ago[1], but it's heartening that people are starting to revisit some of these debates.
[1] Here's an article from 1999 arguing essentially the same thing re: how little we understand about mental illness, and how prescribing doctors should be cautious about oversimplifying something so complex: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotherapy/psychotherapy-...
Your link seems to make a case for SSRIs causing learned helplessness. It's been 17 years since this article was written, and the profession is still working on fixing itself. "Hmm."
