After decades of patient reports being dismissed, a comprehensive review by the University of Liverpool has confirmed that antidepressant withdrawal symptoms are far more common, severe, and long-lasting than previously acknowledged.
The study, published in Addiction, analyzed data from over 5,000 patients across 24 countries and found that 56% experienced clinically significant withdrawal symptoms when discontinuing SSRIs or SNRIs—with 15% describing symptoms lasting over six months.
These findings have forced a major reckoning in psychiatry. Common withdrawal effects include “brain zaps” (electric shock-like sensations), severe rebound depression, dizziness, and emotional instability. Many patients reported being unprepared for these symptoms, with some mistaking them for depression relapse and unnecessarily resuming medication. “We’ve failed patients by not properly informing them about discontinuation risks,” admits psychiatrist Dr. Michael Liang. “This isn’t about scaring people away from needed medication—it’s about enabling truly informed consent.”
In response, international guidelines are being updated to emphasize gradual, monitored tapering over abrupt cessation. Some clinics now offer specialized withdrawal support programs incorporating micronutrient therapy, neurofeedback, and slow hyperbolic tapering (reducing doses by tiny increments). Pharmaceutical companies face pressure to develop new antidepressants with cleaner discontinuation profiles.
This controversy has broader implications for how we conceptualize depression treatment. As patient advocate Rachel Goodman argues, “If we acknowledge that antidepressants can cause dependence-like symptoms, we must also invest more in non-pharmacological treatments and social interventions that address depression’s root causes.” The conversation marks a pivotal moment in balancing medication benefits with honest acknowledgment of their limitations.
