selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

plural selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors · abbreviation SSRI

1. medicineAny of a class of drugs, such as fluoxetine or sertraline, that inhibit the uptake of serotonin in the central nervous system and are often used to treat certain mental illnesses, such as depression.

   2006, Campion Quinn, 100 Questions & Answers about Autism, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, page 109, Common types of treatment for depression include the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the tricyclic antidepressants.

   2 more examples

   The literature on the dug treatment of Separation Anxiety Disorder in children and adolescents contains several controlled trials of tricyclic antidepressants, a few open trials of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and several studies of benzodiazepines including one controlled trial. Based on the review, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors emerge as the most promising treatment.

   1999, Selby Jacobs, Traumatic Grief, Taylor & Francis (Brunner/Mazel), page 62

   2016, Medical Therapies, entry in Harold L. Miller, Jr. (editor), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology, SAGE Publications, page 537, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors exert their initial antidepressant effects by inhibiting the transport of serotonin into the presynaptic neuron and thereby increasing synaptic concentrations of serotonin.

   Synonyms: serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor, SSRI