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Manufacturing Depression: The Secret History Of A Modern Disease (2010)

by Gary Greenberg(Favorite Author)

3.66 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1416569790 (ISBN13: 9781416569794)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: Two stars for some interesting history stuff. It sounds like the author wanted to complain about his experience with depression treatment. This text is all over the place and sounds more like a rant than anything. I don't disagree with him that it is probably overdiagnosed, but he paints psychiatric providers as money-hungry individuals, separate from the human race, who are likely less focused on your experience and more concerned about your ability to continue coming to your appointments. I feel what most people who have depression symptoms would read from this text is that their depression is normal and avoid medications. This can be a dangerous assumption for someone who is at risk to themselves or causing distress to themselves and loved ones. I know there are many pe... moreople who have found much benefit to antidepressants for their depression and anxiety. This information is very skewed. I forced myself through this book in hopes that it would become more balanced.
review 2: Some interesting bits here and there. The author, a psychiatrist by trade, writes a journalistic investigation of depression but as a patient enrolled in a clinical trial (for fish oil). He goes further by looking into the history of how the dis-ease became consolidated by clinicians and sold by drug companies. Repeatedly, he highlights the circular reasoning how the symptoms make the disease and the disease makes the symptoms; there is no objective diagnostic test whatsoever. In fact, serotonin levels probably have nothing to do with the effects of modern treatments (SSRIs, SNRIs, misc. agents). Interesting subject, but the author has too many asides, too many rambling bits and not enough facts (studies) - what he does do best is write, and poetically so in relation to his own depressive symptomology. A writer with depression? How droll is that. less

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