Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1 The place of Drug Treatments in Psychiatry Chapter 2 How do Psychiatric Drugs Work? Chapter 3 Interpreting the Evidence on Psychiatric Drugs Chapter 4 Neuroleptic Drugs (also known as 'Anti Psychotics') Chapter 5 'Antidepressants' Chapter 6 Lithium and Other Drugs Used for Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder Chapter 7 Stimulants Chapter 8 Benzodiazepines Chapter 9 The Consequences of a Drug-Centred Approach to Understanding Psychiatric Drugs Chapter 10 Withdrawing from Psychiatric Drugs Chapter 11 Final Thoughts

About the Author

Joanna Moncrieff is a Senior Lecturer in psychiatry at University College London and a practising consultant psychiatrist. She has written articles critical of various psychiatric drug treatments, including lithium, antidepressants and neuroleptics. She has also written about the adverse influence of the pharmaceutical industry on psychiatry. She is one of the founders and the co-chair person of the Critical Psychiatry Network, a group of psychiatrists who are critical of biological models of psychiatric distress and opposed to increasing coercion of psychiatric patients.

Reviews

This straightforward book is one that should be read by anyone currently taking, or thinking about taking, a psychotropic drug; anyone prescribing them and anyone party to their use. It offers a radically different and sobering view as to what the drugs do compared with the views on offer elsewhere. David Healy,Professor of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales School of Medicine, Cardiff.