DR. IRVING KIRSCH: EXPLODING THE ANTIDEPRESSANT MYTH

http://reporter.mcgill.ca/2009/10/antidepressants-medical-boon-or-bust/

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McGill University | Montreal, Quebec |
Oct 09 2009

Antidepressants: medical boon or
bust?

The Biomedical Ethics Unit of the Faculty of Medicine is
proud to present Dr. Irving Kirsch who will deliver a lecture titled “The

Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth,” on Oct. 14.

When asked about the subject matter of his lecture, Dr. Kirsch, a Psychology
professor at the University of Hull, in England, said this. “Antidepressants
work – everyone knows they do. That’s what I thought too, until my colleagues
and I analyzed the clinical trial data. When I obtained the unpublished as well
as published data from the Food and Drug Administration, I found that what
everyone knew about antidepressants was wrong. Instead of treating depression
with drugs, we’ve been treating it with suggestion. A thorough review of the

research demonstrates that the chemical imbalance theory of depression is wrong.
The effect of antidepressant drugs is independent of their chemical composition.
Depression can be treated more effectively and more safely without drugs.”

The Emperor’s New Drugs; Oct. 14; 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. 3647 Peel St., room
101. Lecture is free, all are welcome. For more information contact Audrey M.
Prosser at 514-398-6980 or by email at

audrey.prosser@mcgill.ca.

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