The Rise and Fall of the Age of Psychopharmacology

Description

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. Contents Front Matter Dedication Preface Abbreviations Part I Getting Going 1 Introduction 2 Before Psychopharmacology 3 The Rise of Psychopharmacology 4 Things Get Rolling 5 Depression and Schizophrenia 6 Industry Part II Worsening 7 DSM 8 Science 9 KOLs 10 Trials Begin 11 Trials: Fantasy Patients for Fantasy Diseases 12 Trials: Industry Takes Over 13 Marketing 14 Journals 15 FDA Part III Science Disaster 16 Prozac and Its Cousins 17 Sally 18 Atypicals 19 TMAP 20 The Fall of Psychopharmacology 21 Conclusion End Matter Acknowledgments Index