The research basis for Robert Whitaker's 'anatomy of an epidemic: Magic bullets, psychiatric drugs and the astonishing rise of mental illness in America

摘要

Whitaker has been writing about the treatment of the mentally ill for over 12 years. In Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America, he examines what appears to be a trend toward poorer long-term outcomes for persons with major mental disorders, as compared to the era before modern psychopharma-ceuticals. He posits that the timing is not coincidental, but that modern medications may be a contributing factor to these outcomes. Specifically, the medications are not very effective (i.e., that group outcomes for persons on modern psychotropic medications are minimally or not significantly better than placebo). More disturbingly, he reports that these medications are more than just ineffective, but may result in deleterious outcomes (i.e., that over time, many current Pharmaceuticals may be altering the symptoms, course, and duration of several Axis I major mental illnesses).