Over the past forty years, the use of antidepressants has become widespread at a staggering pace.
Six million people in France now take them, and their use more than doubled between 2000 and 2020 across eighteen European countries. In 2024, these medications represent a global market worth 18 billion dollars, with an expected annual growth rate of around 4% through 2034.
How can this normalization be explained? And should we be concerned?
In the late 1970s, a new class of antidepressants emerged, designed to increase serotonin levels in the brain. Fueled by aggressive marketing from the pharmaceutical industry, the so-called “happy pills,” led by Prozac, flooded screens and markets alike.
But has this prescription happiness truly delivered on its promises?
Recent and ongoing cases have implicated the pharmaceutical industry and exposed a series of scandals: concealed publications, ghostwritten studies, the downplaying of serious side effects. How far are we willing to go in the medicalization of our emotions?
As whistleblowers raise the alarm about the inherent risks of antidepressant use — emotional blunting, suicidal thoughts, and brutal withdrawal — psychiatrists are questioning the true role of serotonin and exploring alternative treatments.