alt Hacker NewsThe truth about antidepressants is that the majority of people with depression that respond to an antidepressant would also have responded to a placebo. This doesn't mean that their depression isn't real or that antidepressants "don't work". It just means that placebo has a relatively high response rate in trials for depression. The hate is (among other points) because they are only arguably, marginally, better than placebo, and antidepressants also have real side effects (activation syndrome, increased suicidality, sexual side effects, withdrawals, etc.) over placebo.
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> The hate is (among other points) because they are only arguably, marginally, better than placebo
Only true for some. Inarguably, well-proven false for others.
Likewise, placebos and aspirin are comparable at relieving those headaches where aspirin doesn't really solve the source, but that doesn't mean aspirin's well-documented effects are meaningless in general.
> The truth about antidepressants is that the majority of people with depression that respond to an antidepressant would also have responded to a placebo.
^ citation needed
What does "would have responded" mean? Are you saying that >50% of people with depression that are "helped" by antidepressant, would have been helped _to a similar extend_ with a placebo?