Panorama: The Antidepressant Story

Synopsis

Antidepressants are the nation’s most popular psychiatric drug. But today, even regulators admit the evidence shows that they barely work better than a placebo for the vast majority of users. The drugs were launched 30 years ago with great fanfare, with millions of people recruited into what was eff... Antidepressants are the nation’s most popular psychiatric drug. But today, even regulators admit the evidence shows that they barely work better than a placebo for the vast majority of users. The drugs were launched 30 years ago with great fanfare, with millions of people recruited into what was effectively a huge experiment – the results of which are only now becoming clear. For people who take antidepressants, the side effects can be debilitating and some find them extremely hard to give up. Why are these drugs still so readily prescribed and are patients told enough about the medication they’ve been given? With exclusive and revelatory interviews with former regulators, industry insiders and academics, this programme charts the troubled history of the wonder drugs that were supposed to solve the world’s depression problem.