Book Review: Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants

For those in the field of mental health, the debate about the efficacy of pharmaceutical medications has been an enduring and uncertain one, and this debate can sometimes end up complicating treatment, outcomes, and even attitudes toward what it means to be well. In his extraordinary new book, Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants, Peter D. Kramer delves into this debate, taking a rare and unbiased look at the question: Do antidepressants work? Kramer, the author of the widely popular Listening to Prozac, uses his impressive clarity and insight to study the science that has influenced antidepressants. The question he encourages us to ask is not whether antidepressants work, but rather, what do we mean when we say that they work? One problem antidepressants have always had, Kramer notes, is that their efficacy has hinged on meta-analysis studies. What these studies cannot possibly measure are the individual human affects. Kramer points to the case of Adele, his first patient in a private series whom he treated with psychotherapy and antidepressants. While Adele showed only subtle improvement, her results led Kramer to a profound conclusion: antidepressants (specifically imipramine) had made Kramer a more competent therapist. The path that led antidepressants to become the part of mental health treatment they are today hasn’t always been smooth. Kramer points to a “biting commentary” by Doris Y. Mayer, an accomplished psychiatrist. The piece, titled, “Psychotrop...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Book Reviews Clinical Trials Disorders General Medications Policy and Advocacy Psychology Psychotherapy Treatment Antidepressant Antipsychotic Bipolar Disorder books on antidepressant efficacy books on antidepressants books on Source Type: news