On: Why Antidepressants Don't Live Up to the Hype

[m_eiman]

"The purpose of an antidepressant is to improve mood."

I'd say that their effect is that they reduce the amplitude of emotions, so to speak. You get sad, but not -as- sad; however you also don't get as happy as you might have been otherwise.

This is a reason that some people don't like taking such drugs: they feel it takes away their emotions and transform their personalities.

[asciilifeform → m_eiman]

> they reduce the amplitude of emotions

SSRIs appear to have this effect in many people, but it is not universal to all antidepressants. See my other comments in this thread.