title: Possible role of more positive social behaviour in the clinical effect of antidepressant drugs.
abstract: Increasing serotonin decreases quarrelsome behaviours and enhances agreeable behaviours in humans. Antidepressants, even those whose primary action is not on serotonin, seem to increase serotonin function. We suggest that antidepressants act in part by effects on social behaviour, which leads to a gradual improvement in mood. We review the evidence supporting the idea that antidepressants may be moving behaviour from quarrelsome to agreeable. The more positive social responses of interaction partners would initiate a cycle of more positive social behaviour, and this iterative process would result in a clinically significant improvement in mood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Que., Canada.
authors.forename: Simon N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Que., Canada.
authors.forename: Debbie S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marije
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: aan het Rot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D012701:Serotonin