Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it is not cured by medication. Depression may not even… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Many of the benefits of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) can be obtained without going into therapy. There are a number of self-help… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“The results of decades of neurotransmitter-depletion studies point to one inescapable conclusion: low levels or serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine do not cause… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Anything that instills a sense of hope will at least temporarily help treat depression. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“When people recover from depression via psychotherapy, their attributions about recovery are likely to be different than those of people who have… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
There seem to be many causes of depression. One cause is profound loss, grief. Economic hardship we know is linked to depression.… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Depression comes back over time in about 90 percent of people on antidepressants. Studies show that relapses are far less common when… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Depression, we are told over and over again, is a brain disease, a chemical imbalance that can be adjusted by antidepressant medication.… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Depression is a serious problem, but drugs are not the answer. In the long run, psychotherapy is both cheaper and more effective,… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
I do a lot of research on the placebo effect, not just in depression but in irritable bowel syndrome, pain, arthritis of… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Psychotherapy works for the treatment of depression, and the benefits are substantial. In head-to-head comparisons, in which the short-term effects of psychotherapy… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Like antidepressants, a substantial part of the benefit of psychotherapy depends on a placebo effect, or as Moerman calls it, the meaning… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Depression is partly a nocebo effect, in the sense that it can be produced by negative exceptions about oneself and the world.… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Not only are poor, unemployed, less will-educated and non-white people more likely to become depressed, but they are also least likely to… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“For people who are depressed, and especially for those who do not receive enough benefit from medication of for whom the side… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it is not cured by medication. Depression may not even be an… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
To someone who is not currently on anti-depressants, I would suggest trying other treatments first - for example, psychotherapy. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Many of the benefits of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) can be obtained without going into therapy. There are a number of self-help books, CDs… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Nocebos often cause a physical effect, but it's not a physically produced effect. What's the cause? In many cases, it's an unanswered question. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“The results of decades of neurotransmitter-depletion studies point to one inescapable conclusion: low levels or serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine do not cause depression. here… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Perhaps 10 percent of patients who are prescribed antidepressants are really benefiting from the drugs' active ingredients. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Patients who trust their doctors and have a psychological expectation of getting better could trigger a reaction in their body. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Anything that instills a sense of hope will at least temporarily help treat depression. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
“Our analyses of the FDA data showed relatively little difference between the effects of antidepressants and the effects of placebos. Indeed, the effects were… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
Perhaps anti-depressants should be best reserved for the very extreme cases and, more importantly, for those who do not respond to alternative forms of… — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
If doctors just spent more time with their patients so they felt more reassured, that might help. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
There seems little reason to prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients. — Irving Kirsch Copy Share Image
