Studies which suggested that antidepressants may help children with autism have been called into question. A new review in the journal Pediatrics says that the pro-antidepressant studies were taken up by doctors too hastily.
The review noted that five studies, which noted the benefits of SSRIs in autistic patients, had not been balanced out by five contemporaneous unpublished studies, the results of which noted no benefits.
"When we realized there were as many unpublished studies with data as there were published studies providing data, it was definitely a little frustrating," says researcher Melisa Carrasco, PhD, a graduate of the neuroscience program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The review was not able to discover why the information from the five unpublished journals was not made available, but added that "the effects of SRI treatment in [autism spectrum disorder] are considerably overrated because of publication bias."
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.