Immobility in the forced swim test is adaptive and does not reflect depression.

Abstract

The forced swim test is based on the progressive immobility a rodent displays when immersed in a beaker filled with water from where no escape is possible. While the test was originally designed to identify the antidepressant potential of drugs, over the past decade a rapidly growing number of publications (more than 2000) portray this immobility response anthropomorphically as a measure for depression and despair. This is incorrect. The response to the forced swim stressor should be considered for what it shows: a switch from active to passive behavior in the face of an acute stressor, aligned to cognitive functions underlying behavioral adaptation and survival.