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simionestoday at 8:24 AM0 repliesview on HN

Note that it's not uncommon for even more widely prescribed medication to have no firmly established mechanism of action. Acetaminophen/paracetamol is probably the best example.

Ultimately medication is prescribed based on evidence from clinical trials, whether or not the mechanism of action is fully understood. SSRIs work to help with depression in clinical trials when compared to placebo, so they get prescribed.