SSRI use is not associated with the intensity of romantic love, obsessive thinking about a loved one, commitment, or sexual frequency in a sample of young adults experiencing romantic love

For >15 years, researchers have speculated that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use is associated with negative romantic love outcomes. No one has empirically investigated this, however. Drawing on 810 participants from the Romantic Love Survey 2022, we used binary logistic regression to identify differences between young adults experiencing romantic love who were and were not taking SSRIs. Predictor variables were biological sex, mental health problems, intensity of romantic love, obsessive thinking about a loved one, commitment, and frequency of sex. Only biological sex and mental health problems were associated with SSRI use. None of our romantic love variables were associated with SSRI use. This is the first evidence to demonstrate that SSRI use is not associated with some features of romantic love in a sample of young adults experiencing romantic love. The findings have implications for clinical practice and can be used to allay some concerns among individuals considering commencing SSRIs for common mental health problems.