Why we are sceptical about this study of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms | Letters
Prof John Read and Dr James Davies argue that a recent review’s findings are not relevant to the majority of real-world antidepressant users, while readers offer their own experiences of using the drugs
You recently reported on a research review, which claimed that only about 15% of people experience withdrawal effects when coming off antidepressants and that only 3% experience severe withdrawal (Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms experienced by 15% of users, study finds, 7 June). We believe this to be misleading. A previous review we conducted, mentioned in your report, found that the overall rate of withdrawal effects to be 56%, with 25% experiencing severe withdrawal.
We fear that both your report and the article by Prof Carmine Pariante about the review that you also published (The myth that antidepressants are addictive has been debunked – they are a vital tool in psychiatry, 8 June) will mislead both doctors and the public into a dangerously false sense of reassurance.