Abstract
Most efficacy and safety studies about medications adopt a quantitative approach, testing specific hypotheses with restricted samples. This online survey provides additional insights by directly asking people open questions. Thematic analysis was used to explore the responses of 342 antidepressant users to “Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your experience of taking medication”. 59 (17.3%) made exclusively positive comments, 146 (42.7%) purely negative comments and 137 (40.0%) offered a mixture of positive and negative. Positive themes included: daily coping, life-changing/saving and stepping stone. Negative themes included: physical adverse effects, emotional and cognitive blunting, and withdrawal effects. Many participants also commented on relationships with prescribers. Collaboration was particularly valued. Negative sub-themes included failings in relation to information (especially about adverse effects and withdrawal), support, and alternatives. Clinicians have a duty to inform potential antidepressant users about positive and adverse effects, including withdrawal effects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adkins, D. E., Clark, S. L., Åberg, K., Hettema, J. M., Bukszár, J., McClay, J. L., et al. (2012). Genome-wide pharmacogenomic study of citalopram-induced side effects in STAR*D. Translational Psychiatry,2, e129.
American Psychiatric Association. (2010). American Psychiatric association practice guideline for the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder (3rd ed.). https://psychiatryonline.org/pb/assets/raw/sitewide/practice_guidleines/guidelines/mdd.pdf.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology,3, 77–101.
Byng, R., Bury, C., & Weaver, L. (2007). Patients’ experiences of consultations for depression and predictors of adherence to antidepressants. Primary Care and Community Psychiatry,12(3/4), 109–115.
Cipriani, A., Furukawa, T., Salanti, G., Chaimani, A., Atkinson, L., Ogawa, Y., et al. (2018). Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. The Lancet,391(10128), 1357–1366.
Corrêa, A., Ribeiro, E., Pinto, D., & Teixeira, A. S. (2016). Therapeutic collaboration and significant events to the client’s change: A systematic review. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy,16(1), 49–60.
Davies, J., Pauli, R., & Montagu, L. (2018). All-party parliamentary group for prescribed drug dependence antidepressant withdrawal: A survey of patients’ experience by the all-party parliamentary group for prescribed drug dependence. https://prescribeddrug.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/APPG-PDD-A, (September).
Davies, J., & Read, J. (2019). A systematic review into the incidence, severity and duration of antidepressant withdrawal effects: Are guidelines evidence-based? Addictive Behaviors, 97, 1–10.
Department of Health and Social Care. (2018). Hansard: Prescription drugs—Written question -128871. Department of Health and Social Care, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-02-21/128871/
Gibson, K., Cartwright, C., & Read, J. (2014). Patient-centered perspectives on antidepressant use: A narrative review. International Journal of Mental Health,43(1), 81–99.
Gibson, K., Cartwright, C., & Read, J. (2016). “In my life antidepressants have been..”: A qualitative analysis of users’ diverse experiences with antidepressants. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 1–7.
Givens, J., Datto, C. J., Ruckdeschel, K., Knott, K., Zubritsky, C., Oslin, D., et al. (2006). Older patients’ aversion to antidepressants: A qualitative study. Journal of General Internal Medicine,21(2), 146–151.
Goldsmith, L., & Moncrieff, J. (2011). The psychoactive effects of antidepressants and their association with suicidality. Current Drug Safety,6(2), 115–121.
Guy, A., Davies, J., & Rizq, R. (Eds.). (2019). Guidance for Psychological Therapists: Enabling conversations with clients taking or withdrawing from prescribed psychiatric drugs. London: All Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence.
Jakobsen, J. C., Katakam, K. K., Schou, A., Hellmuth, S. G., Stallknecht, S. E., Leth-Møller, K., et al. (2017). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors versus placebo in patients with major depressive disorder. A systematic review with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis. BMC Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1173-2.
Khan, A., & Brown, W. A. (2015). Antidepressants versus placebo in major depression: An overview. World Psychiatry,14(3), 294–300.
Khan, A., Khan, S., & Brown, W. A. (2002). Are placebo controls necessary to test new antidepressants and anxiolytics? International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology,5(3), 193–197.
Kirsch, I., Deacon, B. J., Huedo-Medina, T. B., Scoboria, A., Moore, T. J., & Johnson, B. T. (2008). Initial severity and antidepressant benefits: A meta-analysis of data submitted to the food and drug administration. PLoS Medicine,5(2), 260–268.
Liebert, R., & Gavey, N. (2008). “I Didn't Just Cross a Line I Tripped Over an Edge”: Experiences of serious adverse effects with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. New Zealand Journal of Psychology,37, 38–48.
Moncrieff, J. (2015). Antidepressants: misnamed and misrepresented. World Psychiatry,14(3), 301–302.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2009). Depression in adults: Recognition and management. Retrieved from https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg90
OECD. (2017). Antidepressant drugs consumption, 2000 and 2015 (or nearest year) in Pharmaceutical sector. Paris. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2017-graph181-en.
OECD. (2018). Prescriptions dispensed in the community—Statisitcs for England, 2001–2017.. Retrieved from https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/prescriptions-dispensed-in-the-community
Pestello, F., & Davis-Berman, J. (2008). Taking anti-depressant medication: A qualitative examination of internet postings. Journal of Mental Health,17(4), 349–360.
Pratt, L. , Brody, D., & Gu, Q. (2017). Antidepressant use among persons aged 12 and over: United States, 2011–2014 key findings data from the national health and nutrition examination survey. National Center for Health Statistics, (283), 2011–2014. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db283.pdf
Price, J., Cole, V., & Goodwin, G. M. (2009). Emotional side-effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: Qualitative study. British Journal of Psychiatry,195(3), 211–217.
Read, J., Cartwright, C., & Gibson, K. (2014). Adverse emotional and interpersonal effects reported by 1829 New Zealanders while taking antidepressants. Psychiatry Research,216(1), 67–73.
Read, J., Cartwright, C., & Gibson, K. (2018). How many of 1829 antidepressant users report withdrawal effects or addiction? International Journal of Mental Health Nursing,27, 1805–1815.
Read, J., Gee, A., Diggle, J., & Butler, H. (2017). The interpersonal adverse effects reported by 1008 users of antidepressants; and the incremental impact of polypharmacy. Psychiatry Research,256, 423–427.
Read, J., Gee, A., Diggle, J., & Butler, H. (2019). Staying on, and coming off, antidepressants: The experiences of 752 UK adults. Addictive Behaviors,88, 82–85.
Read, J., Gibson, K., Cartwright, C., Shiels, C., Dowrick, C., & Gabbay, M. (2015). Understanding the non-pharmacological correlates of self-reported efficacy of antidepressants. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 131, 434–445
Read, J., Gibson, K., & Cartwright, C. (2016). Do GPs and psychiatrists recommend alternatives when prescribing anti-depressants? Psychiatry Research,246(May), 838–840.
Read, J., & Williams, J. (2018). Adverse Effects of Antidepressants Reported by 1,431 people from 38 Countries: Emotional blunting, suicidality, and withdrawal effects. Current Drug Safety,13, 1–11.
Taylor, S., Annand, F., Burkinshaw, P., Greaves, F., Kelleher, M., Knight, J., et al. (2019). Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines: An evidence review. London: Public Health England.
Timimi, S., Moncrieff, J., Goetscze, P., Davies, J., Kinderman, P., Byng, R., et al. (2018). Network meta-analysis of antidepressants. (Correspondence). Lancet,392, 1011–1022.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Read, J., Grigoriu, M., Gee, A. et al. The Positive and Negative Experiences of 342 Antidepressant Users. Community Ment Health J 56, 744–752 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00535-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00535-0