Talks to Watch

Original Zoloft Commercial

562K views · Mar 12, 2009 · 1:01 · 0 HN recommenders · 4 mentions · discussed 2019–2025

A one-minute animated commercial for the antidepressant Zoloft, described as the original that inspired later sequels and parodies.

Why Hacker News points people here: Mostly cited as a recognizable example of antidepressant advertising in debates about pharmaceutical marketing and the serotonin theory.

What Hacker News said 4

Cites itdoitLPJun 2019

“probably the most the most recognizable anti-depressant ad ever”

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It’s pervasive, especially in the early days of marketing antidepressants to the general public. Example, probably the most the most recognizable anti-depressant ad ever (at least in the US): this video @ 0:20

in “Evidence of a nocebo response following a nationwide antidepressant drug switch” · view on HN
CriticalbanadsJan 2020
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>Citation required this video >"Depression may be related to an imbalance of natural chemicals between nerve cells in the brain. Prescription Zoloft works to correct this imbalance."

in “Medications that change who we are” · view on HN
Criticalcoding123Aug 2022
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The drug industry does the same thing. Has anyone else watched a anti-depression medicine commercial and suddenly felt they are depressed? this video I mean watch this and tell me you don't want what they're selling.

in “TikTok videos leave teens thinking they have rare mental disorders (2021)” · view on HN
Critical42772827Feb 2025
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> People who having passing familiarity with neuroscience often assume that psychiatric medications work by correcting deficiencies, but this isn't true. They think this because that’s literally what the commercial for Zoloft said. [0] [0] this video

in “The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic review of the evidence (2022)” · view on HN