Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a commonly prescribed class of medications. In use since the mid-1980s, SSRIs are routinely used in the treatment of a host of mental health conditions including major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and bulimia nervosa. They can be safely utilized in children, adolescents, adults, expectant mothers, geriatric populations, and patients with medical comorbidities such as coronary artery disease, cancer, diabetes, and cerebrovascular accidents. Contrary to some public opinion, SSRIs will not change one’s personality, prevent one from feeling emotion, or cause one to become addicted, nor will one necessarily have to take an SSRI for a lifetime.

As a class, SSRIs continue to be popular due to the extensive body of clinical research and experience supporting their ease of ...