Scott Alexander examines Zulresso and Zuranolone, two neurosteroid drugs for postpartum depression, discussing their efficacy, challenges, and potential future applications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses Zulresso (allopregnanolone) and Zuranolone, two related drugs for treating postpartum depression. He explains their mechanisms, efficacy, and the challenges in their development and usage. The post covers the history of allopregnanolone research, its connection to GABA and hormones, clinical trials, and potential future applications. Scott also discusses the high cost of Zulresso, its limited availability, and the mixed results of Zuranolone in treating regular depression and anxiety. The post ends with predictions about the future of these drugs and related research. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines whether psychiatric conditions result from evolutionary failures or tradeoffs, proposing that most disorders involve a combination of both. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the nature of psychiatric conditions, discussing whether they result from evolutionary failures or tradeoffs. He presents evidence for both hypotheses, noting that recent research favors the failure hypothesis. However, he argues that some conditions likely involve both failures and tradeoffs. He uses analogies from justice systems and nuclear war scenarios to illustrate how failures and tradeoffs can interact. The post concludes by suggesting that most psychiatric disorders exist on a spectrum from mostly-tradeoff to mostly-failure, and critiques the neurodiversity movement's blanket statements about conditions like autism. Shorter summary