Afraid to Take Antidepressants? | Psychology Today

Posted June 23, 2025 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

Have you read multiple negative reports about antidepressants (ADs)? Why is it they’re so popular in the media while other “brain” drugs (for example, epilepsy or Parkinson’s medications) are off the hook?

I don’t blame reporters; they’re simply doing their job. Researchers, too, capitalize on negative news about antidepressants. Why? Because when you make news with new research or reports about drugs being “bad” or dangerous, you’re more likely to get name recognition and future funding (and research funding, especially now, is hard to come by).

ADs seem to be one of the most vulnerable drug classes when it comes to research and media attention, all because mental health is still stigmatized in our culture. You’ve heard the fear-based remarks: "Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps!” (If you could, you would have by now.) “Stop taking ADs if you get pregnant!” (Women have about an 80% chance of mental health relapse if they follow this cold-turkey advice.) “Terrible side effects!” (Some people get them, but meds can be adjusted to avoid these—see below.) “I couldn’t get off them, it was terrible!” (Discontinuing ADs can be brutal, but not if you titrate appropriately.)

ADs are some of the most studied drugs on the market, bar none. Antidepressants in pregnancy, for instance, have been studied more than many other drugs prescribed in pregnancy—antibiotics, anti-nausea meds, antihistamines, pain relievers, etc. Researchers may be reaching the bottom of the barrel in terms of negative news about ADs, though; new positives are now coming to light.

For instance: a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, including over 600,000 female veterans, found women who took antidepressants (vs. those who did not) were significantly less likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke. This cardio-protective effect was even greater for women with major depression, PTSD, or anxiety disorders.

How is this possible? It's a little-known fact that serotonin receptors (a prime target of ADs) are not just found in the brain. They live throughout the body, including within the GI tract, genitals, heart, and bladder. So it’s not a stretch to learn ADs may help the heart. They may help other disorders as well.

And if you’d like to be an AD success story (instead of overly influenced by media hype), here are some tried-and-true strategies:

If you have anxiety or depression and think you may benefit from ADs, it may help to give them a fighting chance. Beat the stigma and treat your brain as you would any other organ. Even your heart may benefit.

To find a therapist, please visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

References

Sumner JA, Dennis PA, Alvarez CA, Perkins A, Beckham JC, Ebrahimi R. Antidepressant Medication Prescription and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women Veterans. J Clin Psychiatry. 2025 May 7;86(2):24m15647. doi: 10.4088/JCP.24m15647.

Berger M, Gray JA, Roth BL. The expanded biology of serotonin. Annu Rev Med. 2009;60:355-66. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.60.042307.