Anatomy of an Epidemic
Anatomy of an Epidemic

Author: Robert Whitaker

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2010-04-13

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 0307452433

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Updated with bonus material, including a new foreword and afterword with new research, this New York Times bestseller is essential reading for a time when mental health is constantly in the news. In this astonishing and startling book, award-winning science and history writer Robert Whitaker investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of disabled mentally ill in the United States tripled over the past two decades? Interwoven with Whitaker’s groundbreaking analysis of the merits of psychiatric medications are the personal stories of children and adults swept up in this epidemic. As Anatomy of an Epidemic reveals, other societies have begun to alter their use of psychiatric medications and are now reporting much improved outcomes . . . so why can’t such change happen here in the United States? Why have the results from these long-term studies—all of which point to the same startling conclusion—been kept from the public? Our nation has been hit by an epidemic of disabling mental illness, and yet, as Anatomy of an Epidemic reveals, the medical blueprints for curbing that epidemic have already been drawn up. Praise for Anatomy of an Epidemic “The timing of Robert Whitaker’s Anatomy of an Epidemic, a comprehensive and highly readable history of psychiatry in the United States, couldn’t be better.”—Salon “Anatomy of an Epidemic offers some answers, charting controversial ground with mystery-novel pacing.”—TIME “Lucid, pointed and important, Anatomy of an Epidemic should be required reading for anyone considering extended use of psychiatric medicine. Whitaker is at the height of his powers.” —Greg Critser, author of Generation Rx

The Curious History of Medicines in Psychiatry
The Curious History of Medicines in Psychiatry

Author: Wallace B. Mendelson

Publisher:

Published: 2020-01-18

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780578637877

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In the years following World War II, there were no effective medicines for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. There were not even names for such things- words like 'antipsychotic', 'mood stabilizer','antidepressant' or 'tranquilizer' had not even come into being. Within the next two decades all these types of medicines were developed.Most of these discoveries occurred inadvertently, often with a chance observation by a physician or scientist who was looking for something else. Who would have predicted that war surplus fuel from German V2 rockets would be used to develop a new tuberculosis drug, and that a doctor prescribing it noticed that patients felt more hopeful, and thought this might be useful for depression? Or that a scientist testing a preservative for penicillin noticed that animals became quieter, and wondered if it might be a helpful treatment for human anxiety?In this book Dr. Mendelson, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, draws upon forty years of experience studying medicines to describe how they were found, as well as the context of world events and the lives of the discoverers.

The Rise and Fall of the Age of Psychopharmacology
The Rise and Fall of the Age of Psychopharmacology

Author: Edward Shorter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-08-25

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 0197574459

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The Age of Psychopharmacology began with a brilliant rise in the 1950s, when for the first time science entered the study of drugs that affect the brain and mind. But, esteemed historian Edward Shorter argues that there has been a recent fall, as the field has seen its drug offerings impoverished and its diagnoses distorted by the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." The new drugs, such as Prozac, have been less effective than the old. The new diagnoses, such as "major depression," have strayed increasingly from the real disorders of most patients. Behind this disaster has been the invasion of the field by the pharmaceutical industry. This invasion has paid off commercially but not scientifically: There have been no new classes of psychiatry drugs in the last thirty years. Given that psychiatry's diagnoses and therapeutics have largely failed, the field has greatly declined from earlier days. Based on extensive research discovered in litigation, Shorter provides a historical perspective of change and decline over time, concluding that the story of the psychopharmacology is a story of a public health disaster.

Mad Science
Mad Science

Author: Stuart A. Kirk

Publisher: Transaction Publishers

Published: 2013-04-04

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1412849764

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When it comes to understanding and treating madness, distortions of research are not rare, misinterpretation of data is not isolated, and bogus claims of success are not voiced by isolated researchers seeking aggrandizement. This book's detailed analyses of coercion and community treatment, diagnosis, and psychopharmacology reveals that these characteristics of bad science are endemic, institutional, and protected in psychiatry. This is mad science. Mad Science argues that the fundamental claims of modern American psychiatry are not based on convincing research, but on misconceived, flawed, and distorted science. The authors address multiple paradoxes in American mental health, including the remaking of coercion into scientific psychiatric treatment in the community, the adoption of an unscientific diagnostic system that now controls the distribution of services, and how drug treatments have failed to improve the mental health outcome. This book provides an engaging and readable scientific and social critique of current mental health practices. The authors are scholars, researchers, and clinicians who have written extensively about community care, diagnosis, and psychoactive drugs. Mad Science is a must read for all specialists in the field as well as for the informed public.

Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens
Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens

Author: Charles S. Grob

Publisher: Guilford Publications

Published: 2023-01-13

Total Pages: 602

ISBN-13: 1462551890

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This handbook reviews promising applications of psychedelics in treatment of such challenging psychiatric problems as posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, substance use disorders, and end-of-life anxiety. Experts from multiple disciplines synthesize current knowledge on psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and other medical hallucinogens. The volume comprehensively examines these substances' neurobiological mechanisms, clinical effects, therapeutic potential, risks, and anthropological and historical contexts. Coverage ranges from basic science to practical clinical considerations, including patient screening and selection, dosages and routes of administration, how psychedelic-assisted sessions are structured and conducted, and management of adverse reactions.

Medicine
Medicine

Author: DK

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-10-11

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0744034655

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See the greatest medical breakthroughs come to life through superb illustrations! From ancient herbal medicine to traditional Chinese medicine, take a visual tour throughout the history of medicine with this comprehensive medical reference book. Discover medicine through time! Here’s what you’ll find in this illustrated history book about medicine: • Offers a broad and accessible visual history of medicine — from the first herbal remedies to efforts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic • Intriguing narratives are illustrated with photographs, paintings and artifacts • Offers a vivid, compelling and informative read written in an engaging and colourful style • Excerpts from documents, diaries and notebooks offer fascinating eyewitness accounts This medicine history book charts fascinating developments in diagnosis, surgery, healing and drugs through the ages. Feature spreads explore key medical concepts in detail and enhance the reader’s understanding of human anatomy, surgical instruments and medical developments. Clear diagrams explain major diseases like cancer, and trace the progression of medical treatment through time, from ancient healing arts to scurvy and smallpox to modern psychiatry. Double-page features tell the story of the men and women involved in the extraordinary evolutions of this scientific field — from Hippocrates to Florence Nightingale. It's the perfect book for medical professionals, students of medicine or anyone with a keen interest in medicine, science or social history.

The Book of Woe
The Book of Woe

Author: Gary Greenberg

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-05-02

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1101621109

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“Gary Greenberg has become the Dante of our psychiatric age, and the DSM-5 is his Inferno.” —Errol Morris Since its debut in 1952, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has set down the “official” view on what constitutes mental illness. Homosexuality, for instance, was a mental illness until 1973. Each revision has created controversy, but the DSM-5 has taken fire for encouraging doctors to diagnose more illnesses—and to prescribe sometimes unnecessary or harmful medications. Respected author and practicing psychotherapist Gary Greenberg embedded himself in the war that broke out over the fifth edition, and returned with an unsettling tale. Exposing the deeply flawed process behind the DSM-5’s compilation, The Book of Woe reveals how the manual turns suffering into a commodity—and made the APA its own biggest beneficiary.

Magic Medicine
Magic Medicine

Author: Cody Johnson

Publisher: Fair Winds Press

Published: 2018-06-05

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1631594281

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“Cody Johnson beautifully balances historical knowledge with cutting-edge science to produce a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read which paints a holistic picture of the risks and benefits of psychedelic use in modern day medicine and culture.” —Rick Doblin, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Magic Medicine explores the fascinating history of psychedelic substances and provides a contemporary update about their growing inclusion in modern medicine, science, and culture. Each chapter dives into the rich history of a single plant or compound and explores its therapeutic and spiritual uses in cultures near and far. Firsthand quotes allow glimmers of psychedelic light throughout. Learn all about: Classical psychedelics, including 2C-B, ayahuasca, LSD, and peyote The empathogenic psychedelics MDA and MDMA Dissociative psychedelics, including DXM, ketamine, and salvia Unique psychedelics, including cannabis, DiPT, and even fish and sea sponges The history of psychedelic plants and substances is full of colorful facts and stories, and intriguing questions. Did US Army Intelligence really use LSD as an enhanced military interrogation technique? How is DiPT able to make a familiar tune sound utterly foreign? Can MDMA (Ecstasy) help people overcome traumatic experiences? Many psychedelic plants and substances have a long history of being incorporated into various healing traditions—such as cannabis and opium in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Science is beginning to research what traditional cultures have told us for years: psychedelics have transformative healing properties. Anyone who has ever wondered about psychedelics—from complete neophytes to veteran trippers, seekers and sages to skeptics and scientists, therapists and patients to green thumbs and armchair anthropologists—will find something in this engrossing and beautifully designed book.

The Prescriber's Guide, Antidepressants
The Prescriber's Guide, Antidepressants

Author: Stephen M. Stahl

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-04-27

Total Pages: 13

ISBN-13: 0521743966

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This is a spin-off from Stephen M. Stahl's new, completely revised and updated version of his much-acclaimed Prescriber's Guide, covering drugs to treat depression.

The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction
The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction

Author: William F. Bynum

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2008-07-31

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 019921543X

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Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, this i Very Short Introduction/i surveys the history of medicine from classical times to the present. Focussing on the key turning points in the history of Western medicine - such as the advent of hospitals and the rise of experimental medicine - but also offering reflections on alternative traditions such as Chinese medicine, Bill Bynum offers insights into medicine's past, while at the same time engaging with contemporary issues, discoveries, and controversies.