alt Hacker NewsOkay, so we set aside NNT, even though their NNH is also quite low, and that's highly relevant, what about effect size and remission rate? This feels a bit like cherrypicking. And you'll note I said "augmented", as well, if somebody is going through the treatment algorithm with SSRIs, by all means, that's the bridge to stability for somebody on a longer term course.
But many people don't need anything more than acute treatment, so what about them?
> what about effect size and remission rate? This feels a bit like cherrypicking
Trying to pull out NNT feels like cherry picking because it sounds really bad to people who don’t know how other drugs look on this measure.
If your point is that it would be better if we had better drugs then I agree.
I think trying to imply that SSRIs are barely a step above useless is not helpful, though. Statistics like NNT and remission rates do not capture incremental improvements that these medications can make for people who need all the help they can get. Even if it doesn’t cause complete remission by itself it can be very helpful.