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regulartoaster's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciate the depth to which Kramer dove into the ethical questions surrounding Prozac and other "anti-depressants" (he deconstructs this term in order to explain these drugs without preconceived notions). While it wasn't the easiest read (many detailed case studies and scientific terms), he does a great job keeping an open mind and helping you to develop your own opinion.
Something I had not thought of before reading this is that different societies and eras prize different personality types. For example, a melancholy personality could have been more valuable in Victorian era than it would be today, where fast moving, quick-witted, outgoing personalities thrive. (Would Prozac be as sought-after then as it is now?)
This book was written awhile ago, but the interesting questions it asks about psychotropics are still very relevant today. This book left me with more questions than answers, which I consider to be a good thing.
Something I had not thought of before reading this is that different societies and eras prize different personality types. For example, a melancholy personality could have been more valuable in Victorian era than it would be today, where fast moving, quick-witted, outgoing personalities thrive. (Would Prozac be as sought-after then as it is now?)
This book was written awhile ago, but the interesting questions it asks about psychotropics are still very relevant today. This book left me with more questions than answers, which I consider to be a good thing.
fibrebundle's review against another edition
Very well written book. The references are a little sophisticated, but that should probably be expected given the writer's background. The cases are interesting and are relevant to the chapter albeit, sometimes it takes awhile make the connection. All in all, it is a very interesting book and offers a first person perspective from a psychiatrist about the Prozac in the context of other antidepressants, anxiolytic, history, and notoriety that are often overlooked and occur in the background.
bakudreamer's review against another edition
2.0
Putting people on prozac produces results the same as 10-20 years of therapy. Guess that's the end of ' the talking cure ' ( ? )
mariposa_ca's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really instrumental in the writing of my Honor's Thesis. The author's description of the phenomenon of "kindling" has stuck with me in my work to this day.
crowyhead's review against another edition
5.0
This excellent book, written when Prozac and other SSRI antidepressants were relatively new, is at times a little dated but still extremely interesting. Kramer is a phsychiatrist who had been treating patients with depression and other problems for years when Prozac became available. Prozac did not have the same severely limiting side effects that plagued the other antidepressants then available, which made it easier and safer to prescribe for patients who might normally have avoided medication. Kramer and other psychiatrists soon began to notice something interesting and disconcerting: patients who took Prozac for one condition often experienced a change across the board. Previously painfully shy, one patient discovered that she suddenly was able to date and flirt. Many patients reported feeling "better than normal" -- happier, brighter, more confident. For Kramer and other psychiatrists, this raised a multitude of questions about what constitutes mental illness, and what the implications are when a medication can change a person's personality so drastically. Had these people who now felt "better than normal" been ill all their lives, and were now well? Where does one draw the line between illness and personality?
Kramer explores all sides of the issue here, and while he is clearly impressed by the positive changes Prozac has wrought among his patients, he is also curious and concerned about the power of this antidepressant. One of the things I liked about this book is that I got the impression that Kramer is willing to have his mind changed -- he has formed ideas and philosophies about the use of antidepressants, but he seems to be constantly looking at and weighing the evidence, and monitoring how his methods of treating patients have changed since the advent of Prozac. I would like to locate a copy of the revised edition of this book, so I can read some of his commentary on this ever-changing issue in mental health.
Kramer explores all sides of the issue here, and while he is clearly impressed by the positive changes Prozac has wrought among his patients, he is also curious and concerned about the power of this antidepressant. One of the things I liked about this book is that I got the impression that Kramer is willing to have his mind changed -- he has formed ideas and philosophies about the use of antidepressants, but he seems to be constantly looking at and weighing the evidence, and monitoring how his methods of treating patients have changed since the advent of Prozac. I would like to locate a copy of the revised edition of this book, so I can read some of his commentary on this ever-changing issue in mental health.
pheministcrafter's review
4.0
Favorite quotes from the book:
“Patients who eat or drink the wrong foods can have strokes or die on MAOIs. Few physicians were willing to take a flamboyant, self-absorbed woman prone to brief catastrophic depressions and put her on a pill that would allow her to commit suicide by drinking a glass or two of Chianti or eating a piece of Stilton (86).”
“Patients who eat or drink the wrong foods can have strokes or die on MAOIs. Few physicians were willing to take a flamboyant, self-absorbed woman prone to brief catastrophic depressions and put her on a pill that would allow her to commit suicide by drinking a glass or two of Chianti or eating a piece of Stilton (86).”
raehink's review
3.0
This book created quite a splash when it was published as antidepressants seemed to be all the rage and the author took aim at the most commonly prescribed ones. He describes not only the dangers of the drugs but the effect they are having on our society as a whole. Though this was a bit sensationalistic, I still enjoyed it and learned enough to be wary of these medications.
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