>> The bigger problem is “depression” is not reproducibly measurable, because it has no falsifiable or biomedical marker.
That's something I like to point out using SSRIs as an example. The claim is that they increase levels of serotonin and that the cause of the depression is reduced serotonin. The thing is, nobody actually checks your serotonin levels and says "oh that's low take this." Then there's the problem of why ones serotonin is low when it wasn't always that way. There are probably many causes of depression and quite possibly some that don't lower serotonin.
If mdma makes you friendlier, does that mean that people who are shy are suffering from friendliness deficit disorder and can I get a prescription for it.
That's something I like to point out using SSRIs as an example. The claim is that they increase levels of serotonin and that the cause of the depression is reduced serotonin. The thing is, nobody actually checks your serotonin levels and says "oh that's low take this." Then there's the problem of why ones serotonin is low when it wasn't always that way. There are probably many causes of depression and quite possibly some that don't lower serotonin.