Alfred A. Knopf
Comfortably numb; how psychiatry is medicating a nation.
Contemporary society firmly believes in the quick fix. We want to lose 40 pounds overnight, get our cholesterol down without changing eating habits, and clean up the environment without giving up our cars. Barber, who has worked in mental health for over 20 years, examines this trend in psychiatry. Much has been made recently of the "Prozac Nation" in which emotional problems are solved with a pill a day. Like many health care professionals, Barber is alarmed by this. He points out that new analytical treatments actually have a better success rate for many conditions than medication. He also is concerned about long-term side effects, both physical and social. This book is intended for a general audience. Barber gives dramatic examples to make his points and concludes with alternatives to over- medication. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
