eli5: How do antidepressant actually work?

Question

I always hear people say the monoamine hypothesis of depression is outdated, so what’s actually happening and why is their a delay in symptom reduction when starting? Brain changes are seen a few hours after first dose

In: 3

Answer 1

The current theory appears to be that there is some intrinsic factor of the serotonin receptor that is responsible for the symptoms of depression. Therefore, by blocking the reuptake of serotonin (pretty much every antidepressant does this to some extent), there is more of it in the brain. This leads to a reduction in the number of receptors, which reduces the symptoms.