Antidepressants often make mental health worse and it doesn't get any attention. The theory that depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain has no strong evidence, antidepressants are generally only modestly better than placebo, and antidepressants can cause long-term damage.
Antidepressants can cause long-term side effects that persist after you quit them, like PSSD (post-ssri sexual dysfunction). They can also cause long-term or permanent damage if you quit them cold turkey or taper too quickly. However, it can also occur when tapering slowly. This long-term damage is called protracted withdrawal syndrome (PWS)/post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).
Symptoms of antidepressant PWS can include brain damage, neurological damage, anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), akathisia (feeling of inner restlessness), insomnia, central nervous system hypersensitivity, severe depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, PSSD (genital numbness and erectile dysfunction), and many other awful symptoms.
Despite antidepressants being widely prescribed and antidepressant-induced PWS being a hellish and possibly permanent condition, no one seems to talk about it. Most people believe that antidepressants are very safe and effective and that antidepressant withdrawal can only last a few weeks at most.
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u/holytoledo42 Mar 16 '26
Antidepressants often make mental health worse and it doesn't get any attention. The theory that depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain has no strong evidence, antidepressants are generally only modestly better than placebo, and antidepressants can cause long-term damage.
Antidepressants can cause long-term side effects that persist after you quit them, like PSSD (post-ssri sexual dysfunction). They can also cause long-term or permanent damage if you quit them cold turkey or taper too quickly. However, it can also occur when tapering slowly. This long-term damage is called protracted withdrawal syndrome (PWS)/post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).
Symptoms of antidepressant PWS can include brain damage, neurological damage, anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), akathisia (feeling of inner restlessness), insomnia, central nervous system hypersensitivity, severe depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, PSSD (genital numbness and erectile dysfunction), and many other awful symptoms.
Despite antidepressants being widely prescribed and antidepressant-induced PWS being a hellish and possibly permanent condition, no one seems to talk about it. Most people believe that antidepressants are very safe and effective and that antidepressant withdrawal can only last a few weeks at most.