CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 74Treatment of Major DepressionPsychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsMental Health Treatment and Access

Reasons for Quitting Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Therapy: Paradoxical Psychological Side Effects and Patient Satisfaction

Bolling, Madelon Y., Kohlenberg, Robert J.·2004·Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
DOI 10.1159/000080392
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to document the existence of psychological side effects associated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) taken for depression and to determine their relationship to patients' decisions to stop treatment, and attitudes toward taking SSRIs again. METHOD: We conducted 161 semi-structured telephone interviews of adults who had completed a course of treatment for depression with one of the SSRIs. We identified 29 categories of unwanted psychological effects and analyzed data in terms of responders and non-responders, the former split into those who would, and those who would not take the same drug again if depressed in the future ('take-again responders' and 'not-again responders', respectively). RESULTS: Psychological side effects were cited just as often as physical side effects as the primary reason for quitting SSRI treatment. Non-responders cited psychological side effects rather than non-response as the primary reason for quitting, and not-again responders cited physical more than psychological side effects. Not-again responders and non-responders did not differ in the number of side effects experienced, and non-responders experienced significantly more unwanted psychological effects than either type of responder (chi2= 6.767, p=0.009). CONCLUSION: Psychological side effects might well be included in measures and discussions of side effects, even though they present no known physical danger to the patient.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1159/000080392

Cites

21 of 21 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • About 50-60% of patients with major depressive disorder treated with SSRIs or SNRIs report some degree of emotional blunting.

    “In addition, about 50-60% of all patients with MDD treated with SSRIs or SNRIs report some degree of emotional blunting, which may be related to the medication (Goodwin et al., 2017;Read et al., 2014;Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004).”

    From Effectiveness of Vortioxetine on Emotional Blunting in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder with inadequate response to SSRI/SNRI treatment (2021) · cites this paper as Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004

  • There are a few data suggesting that emotional blunting may be quite prevalent.

    “There are a few data suggesting that emotional blunting may be quite prevalent.”

    From Emotional blunting with antidepressant treatments: A survey among depressed patients (2017) · cites this paper as Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004

  • A survey of 161 patients who had received SSRIs for depression reported that about 20% had an inability to cry.

    “The results of a survey of 161 patients who had received SSRIs for depression reported that about 20% had an "inability to cry" and 46% had a "narrowed range of affect" (Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004).”

    From Emotional blunting with antidepressant treatments: A survey among depressed patients (2017) · cites this paper as Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004

  • A survey of 161 patients who had received SSRIs for depression reported that about 46% had a narrowed range of affect.

    “The results of a survey of 161 patients who had received SSRIs for depression reported that about 20% had an "inability to cry" and 46% had a "narrowed range of affect" (Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004).”

    From Emotional blunting with antidepressant treatments: A survey among depressed patients (2017) · cites this paper as Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004

  • The observed rates of emotional blunting are in accord with rates suggested in previous studies.

    “are in accord with rates suggested in previous studies (Opbroek et al., 2002; Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004; Fava et al., 2006).”

    From Emotional blunting with antidepressant treatments: A survey among depressed patients (2017) · cites this paper as Bolling and Kohlenberg, 2004

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Bolling, M. Y., & Kohlenberg, R. J.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Venue
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
Publisher
S. Karger AG
Published
2004
Volume
73
Issue
6
Pages
380-385
ISSN
  • 0033-3190 (ISSN-L)
  • 1423-0348
DOI
10.1159/000080392
OpenAlex
W2078701627
Cited by
74
References
21
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
3.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Washington
  • National Institutes of Health (5r21mh053933-03)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (5 R 21 MH53933)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antidepressant side effects, psychological side effects, paradoxical effects, treatment discontinuation, depression, patient satisfaction, treatment relapse, treatment response
MeSH terms
Adult, Decision Making, Depressive Disorder, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Compliance, Patient Satisfaction, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review