In 2019 the Royal College of Psychiatrists changed its position on withdrawal
It formally recognised that for some people withdrawal is severe and lasts much longer than guidelines said.
Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. how we score evidence
For years people reporting long, severe antidepressant withdrawal were told it lasted a week or two. In May 2019 the Royal College of Psychiatrists published a position statement conceding the point: while withdrawal symptoms are often mild and self-limiting, there is substantial variation, and for some patients symptoms last much longer and are more severe.
It went further and asked for changes — that guidelines and patient information recognise the potential for severe and long-lasting withdrawal, that pharmacologically-informed tapering guidance be developed, that discontinuation be tapered at a rate the patient can tolerate over potentially several months, and that clinicians actively work to tell withdrawal apart from relapse.
One thing it explicitly does not say, and it is worth being accurate about: the College states that from a clinical perspective antidepressant use is not associated with dependence in the addiction sense. Withdrawal and dependence are not the same claim.
Worth asking
If I feel bad three weeks after a dose reduction, how will we decide whether that is withdrawal or my depression returning, and what do we do differently in each case.
Source
Position statement on antidepressants and depression (PS04/19) — Royal College of Psychiatrists (2019)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
How this was scored
- Study design
- National clinical guideline
- Funding
- No external funding
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 5, 2026. Last verified August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "gold standard". Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. It scores 86 out of 100 on our published rubric. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Position statement on antidepressants and depression (PS04/19) — Royal College of Psychiatrists (2019). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: National clinical guideline. Funding: No external funding. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is ssri, snri, atypical_antidepressant, tricyclic, maoi FDA approved?
Yes — this medication carries FDA approval. Approval is always for a specific indication, not for every use it is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.