If you’ve been feeling down lately, you aren’t alone: Depression is on the rise in the U.S. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, about a third of Americans are showing signs of depression or anxiety, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s about double the percentage of people who reported experiencing a depressive mood six years ago.
Though depression and anxiety can be serious and debilitating diseases, the tools we have to treat them are only partially understood by scientists and physicians. As their name suggests, antidepressant medications are commonly used to treat moderate to severe cases of depression. While physicians and researchers know the basics of what these medications do in the brain, they still don’t know how much of the effects are placebo and how much are real drug effects. These unknowns, along with the complex nature of the illness, mean doctors often have to try multiple antidepressants before they find one that works for each patient.
