Fish oil for depression

Hi Doctors,

Would you recommend fish oil for major depression?

Study: Comparison of therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid and fluoxetine, separately and in combination, in major depressive disorder - PubMed

Nope. I think if you check out the full paper you’ll identify some major issues in inferring that n-3’s uniquely help in this condition.

Overall, the existing evidence does not show a benefit over placebo with fish oil.

Can the same be said about anti-depressant medication—that SSRIs mainly elicit a placebo effect?

Based on existing evidence, I could not say that.