Antidepressants saved my life. Then their side effects pushed me back into turmoil

Robyn Morris was prescribed the antidepressant sertraline, which helped ease her anxiety and panic attacks. But the side effects of the drug meant a resurfacing of the disordered eating she had struggled with years earlier. What happens when something that helps you also hurts you at the same time?

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Fearlessness can be learned

The neurotransmitter serotonin plays a key role in both the onset and in the unlearning of fear and anxiety. A research team has been investigating the underlying mechanisms. The researchers showed that mice lacking a specific serotonin receptor unlearn fear much faster than the wild type. The results of the study provide a viable explanation how drugs that are typically used for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alter our brain activity. The ability to unlearn fear is often impaired in PTSD patients, making it more difficult to carry out therapies.

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