CAMBRIDGE. Emotional paralysis has been caused by many common antidepressants in healthy volunteers whose responses to positive and negative stimuli were blunted after taking SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) for three weeks.
The phenomenon of emotional paralysis in the face of unpleasant or traumatic stimuli may, according to the researchers, be the way the active substance helps to cope with the symptoms of depression. However, this paralysis is a common side effect in patients with milder mental disorders.
University of Cambridge study leader Dr Barbara Sahakian told The Guardian: “This is one of the ways these drugs work. They take away some of the emotional pain that depressed people experience. But, unfortunately, they also lack part of the enjoyment of life. The results of the study may help patients choose their medications more carefully, although Dr. Sahakyan notes that “there is no doubt that antidepressants are beneficial” for many patients. More than 8.3 million patients received antidepressants in 2021-2022, according to the UK National Health Service. SSRIs are the most common and effective for most patients.
Some patients report that they no longer find joy in everyday life, feeling a constant emotional numbness. Medical research estimates the percentage of patients who feel this way is between 40% and 60%.
In the Cambridge Study questionnaire, healthy volunteers taking the drug escitalopram reported difficulty achieving orgasm, a common side effect reported by depressed patients taking the drug. Dr. Sahakyan says that the results of the study will also be useful for patients with depression. “Now they can know that these symptoms of theirs are not psychological, but a side effect of drugs. Some others will be able to choose a different form of treatment to avoid these side effects,” says Dr. Sahakyan.
Oxford professor Dr. Katherine Harmer praised the work of her colleagues, but emphasized that this study should not discourage patients suffering from major depression from receiving the benefits of SSRIs.
Source: Kathimerini
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