Presents a series of twenty-one essays that address the history and development of antidepressants such as Prozac and discusses the controversy over their effectiveness in treating depression.
General Note
Includes index.
Content Note
ch. 1. The early drug treatments for depression -- 1. Treating depression before the twentieth century / T.R. Payk -- 2. The discovery and development of the first modern antidepressants / Andrew L. Morrison -- 3. A new wonder drug for depression / Donald G. Cooley -- 4. Why antidepressants were slow to catch on / Charles Medawar -- 5. Problems with tricyclics and MAO inhibitors / Peter D. Kramer -- ch. 2. Prozac and other antidepressants sweep the nation -- 1. A brief history of the development and marketing of Prozac / Edward Shorter -- 2. A critical view of Prozac's FDA testing / Stephen Braun -- 3. Prozac : the new wonder drug / Fran Schumer -- 4. A grateful Prozac user talks to its creators / Tracy Thompson -- 5. The Prozac backlash / Denise Grady -- 6. A widespread culture of Prozac users / Nathan Cobb -- 7. Prozac and other antidepressants have changed the practice of psychiatry / Samuel H. Barondes -- 8. Looking back on the first decade of Prozac and other new antidepressants / Nancy Wartik -- ch. 3. Recent developments and controversies surrounding antidepressants -- 1. Americans turn to natural antidepressants / Somlynn Rorie -- 2. St. John's Wort is not an effective treatment for severe depression / Debra Goldschmidt -- 3. Antidepressants cause people to be violent / Rob Waters -- 4. Antidepressants may cause teen suicide / Marilyn Elias -- 5. Doctors believe depression can be cured with antidepressants / Hara Marano -- 6. Marketing Paxil as a cure for shyness / Shankar Vedantam -- 7. Repacking Prozac for women / Margot Magowan -- 8. The next wave of antidepressants / Michael C. Miller -- Appendix. Facts about antidepressants -- Table of antidepressants -- Chronology -- Organizations to contact.