March 13, 2025

expert reaction to study of self-reported antidepressant response outcomes in the UK Biobank

A study published in Psychological Medicine looks at self-reported experiences with antidepressants. 

Prof Sarah Bailey, Professor of Neuropharmacology and Engagement, University of Bath, said:

“This is a really interesting study taking a patient-centred approach to assessing antidepressant effectiveness and the factors that may contribute to the variability in a person’s response to treatment. Typical antidepressant response rates cited in the literature suggest 30-40% of people respond to antidepressants.

“But it all depends on the question you ask and how you ask it. Rather than using depression rating scales, which may ask about specific depression symptoms like sleep disturbance or feelings of guilt, this study asked people about a more holistic measure.

“Using a large sample of 20,000 participants from the UK Biobank database, the authors used a self-reported measure of antidepressant response that is quite straightforward – did the specific SSRI people tried help them feel better? Even a little bit? The result was resoundingly positive with 71-77% of participants reporting a positive response.

“This study was limited to looking at only a few antidepressants but does show the power of databases like the UK Biobank to address questions about the variability in people’s response to medication and whether more can be learned about sociodemographic and genetic factors contributing to this variability.”

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Psychiatrists said:

“This study reflects what we know to be the case – antidepressants are an effective, evidence-based treatment option for many people for a range of health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly when used in combination with talking therapies. Research like this is helpful in continuing to improve our understanding of how antidepressants work for some people and not others.

“Most patients will benefit from the use of antidepressants, but as with all medications, some people have side effects or negative experiences, which is why their use should be carefully monitored and regularly reviewed. It is important that patients discuss their treatment options with a qualified practitioner, including the benefits, risks and side effects, to ensure there is informed consent.

“We would advise anyone thinking of stopping their antidepressant to talk to their doctor first, as these medications should not be stopped abruptly. The College has produced a resource for patients and carers on stopping antidepressants, that offers information on how someone can slowly stop taking their medication at a pace that suits them and their individual needs.”

Prof David Curtis, Honorary Professor, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London (UCL), said:

“The study reports a number of weak associations with people’s answer to the question as to whether or not an antidepressant helped them “feel better”. The effect sizes are so small that they would not be useful to guide treatment. People might take an antidepressant for many different reasons and some of the reported associations presumably reflect this. 

“The study should not be taken as evidence that antidepressants are effective. People think all sorts of things make them feel better, which is why health food shops are full of supplements which don’t actually have any proven benefits. The evidence that antidepressants are effective is very strong, but it comes from carefully conducted clinical trials, not people’s subjective impressions.”

Prof Stella Chan, Charlie Waller Chair in Evidence-based Psychological Treatment, University of Reading, said:

“Based on a large dataset, this study provided evidence that a clear majority of individuals have found antidepressants helpful. This is in great contrast with most clinical trials which concluded a relatively low remission rate. This discrepancy is largely due to this study using a single binary (Yes/ No) self-reported response. The key advantage is that it captured antidepressant users’ subjective experience. Potential drawbacks arise, however, as the ‘Yes’ response was phrased as ‘Yes – at least a little’ and that ‘Do Not Know’ or ‘Prefer not to answer’ were excluded from analyses. The findings therefore could not differentiate between the kind of clinical improvements that sustain over time and the more transient relief of symptoms. One big challenge in depression treatment development is to improve effectiveness in reducing relapse / recurrence rates. Building on this research, an important next step would be to further research on perspectives around whether, and to what extent, antidepressants help them sustain their mental health over time. Furthermore, as UK Biobank has a relatively restricted age range (40-69); given the increasing rates of depression in adolescents and younger adults, it would be important to extend this research into the younger age group. The headline here is that it’s good news to know that many have found antidepressants helpful, but more research is needed to identify factors that are associated with short-term versus long-term improvements.”

‘Sociodemographic, clinical, and genetic factors associated with self-reported antidepressant response outcomes in the UK Biobank’ by Michelle Kamp et al. is published in Psychological Medicine.

Declared interests

Prof Sarah Bailey: We receive industry funding for our research from Camurus AB. Views expressed are my own.

Prof David Curtis: None

Prof Stella Chan: None

For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.