> Even WITH the unpublished studies included, the placebo effect far exceeds the required effect size to be considered clinically effective which means that the combination (placebo effect+treatment effect) also far exceeds the required effect size.
This is astonishing. The paper in question flatly contradicts you. The paper concludes, "antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance."
The above conclusion is not open to the interpretation you've given it.
And, in case you missed the train leaving the station, none of this will matter until some science is done -- science that uncovers the cause of depression and ends this guessing game and debating society.
That quote does not "flatly contradict" what I said. Read the link I gave. Did I perhaps need to italicize placebo?
The paper you quote is talking about the measured benefits of SSRIs relative to a placebo; the reference I gave is talking about the measured benefits of SSRIs relative to non-treatment. (which includes the placebo effect)
(And as a separate issue, the link I gave also - I suspect correctly - calls into question the standard used in your paper for accepted criteria for clinical significance. And points out that grouping antidepressant medications into one large category can hide the effectiveness of individual medications when your average includes some medications that are known to be not very effective.)
This is astonishing. The paper in question flatly contradicts you. The paper concludes, "antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance."
The above conclusion is not open to the interpretation you've given it.
And, in case you missed the train leaving the station, none of this will matter until some science is done -- science that uncovers the cause of depression and ends this guessing game and debating society.