Anatomy of an Epidemic
Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America
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Narrated by:
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Ken Kliban
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By:
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Robert Whitaker
About this listen
In this astonishing and startling book, award-winning science and history writer Robert Whitaker investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of disabled mentally ill in the United States tripled over the past two decades? Every day, 1,100 adults and children are added to the government disability rolls because they have become newly disabled by mental illness, with this epidemic spreading most rapidly among our nations children. What is going on?
Anatomy of an Epidemic challenges listeners to think through that question themselves. First, Whitaker investigates what is known today about the biological causes of mental disorders. Do psychiatric medications fix chemical imbalances in the brain, or do they, in fact, create them? Researchers spent decades studying that question, and by the late 1980s, they had their answer. Listeners will be startled - and dismayed - to discover what was reported in the scientific journals.
Then comes the scientific query at the heart of this book: During the past 50 years, when investigators looked at how psychiatric drugs affected long-term outcomes, what did they find? Did they discover that the drugs help people stay well? Function better? Enjoy good physical health? Or did they find that these medications, for some paradoxical reason, increase the likelihood that people will become chronically ill, less able to function well, more prone to physical illness?
This is the first book to look at the merits of psychiatric medications through the prism of long-term results. By the end of this review of the outcomes literature, listeners are certain to have a haunting question of their own: Why have the results from these long-term studies - all of which point to the same startling conclusion - been kept from the public?
©2010 Robert Whitaker (P)2010 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Challenging both the idea of the addict's "broken brain" and the notion of a simple "addictive personality", Unbroken Brain offers a radical and groundbreaking new perspective, arguing that addiction is a learning disorder, and shows how seeing the condition this way can untangle our current debates over treatment, prevention, and policy.
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Not what I expected
- By Jennifer Sader on 08-28-16
By: Maia Szalavitz
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The Sober Truth
- Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry
- By: Lance Dodes MD, Zachary Dodes
- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program's overall success.
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A necessary read for those with genuine interest
- By Gregory W Minton on 05-06-19
By: Lance Dodes MD, and others
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Suspicious Minds
- How Culture Shapes Madness
- By: Joel Gold, Ian Gold
- Narrated by: Joel Gold, Ian Gold
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Mr. A. was admitted to Dr. Joel Gold’s inpatient unit at Bellevue Hospital in 2002. He was, he said, being filmed constantly, and his life was being broadcast around the world "like The Truman Show" - the 1998 film depicting a man who is unknowingly living out his life as the star of a popular soap opera. Over the next few years, Gold saw a number of patients suffering from what he and his brother, Dr. Ian Gold, began calling the "Truman Show Delusion," launching them on a quest to understand the nature of this particular phenomenon and the nature of madness itself.
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Intriguing
- By L. K. on 04-18-16
By: Joel Gold, and others
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Transcendence
- Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation
- By: Norman E. Rosenthal
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., a 20-year researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and the celebrated psychiatrist who pioneered the study and treatment of Season Affective Disorder (SAD), brings us the most important work on Transcendental Meditation since the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Science of Being and Art of Living - and one of our generation's most significant books on achieving greater physical and mental health and wellness.
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Inspirational yet "Informercional"
- By James on 05-24-13
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Overcoming Opioid Addiction
- The Authoritative Medical Guide for Patients, Families, Doctors, and Therapists
- By: Adam Bisaga MD, Karen Chernyaev - contributor
- Narrated by: Liz Maxwell
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, claiming more lives than the AIDS epidemic did at its peak. Opioid abuse accounts for two-thirds of these overdoses, with over 100 Americans dying from opioid overdoses every day. Now Overcoming Opioid Addiction provides a comprehensive medical guide for opioid use disorder (OUD) sufferers, their loved ones, clinicians, and other professionals. Here is expertly presented, urgently needed information and guidance
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Authoritative, compassionate guidance
- By Amazon Customer on 05-20-18
By: Adam Bisaga MD, and others
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One Nation Under Therapy
- How the Helping Culture is Eroding Self-Reliance
- By: Christina Hoff Sommers, Sally Satel
- Narrated by: Dianna Dorman
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Americans have traditionally placed great value on self-reliance and fortitude. Recent decades, however, have seen the rise of a therapeutic ethic that views Americans as emotionally underdeveloped, requiring the ministrations of mental-health professionals to cope with life's vicissitudes. Today, having a book for every ailment, a counselor for every crisis, a lawsuit for every grievance, and a TV show for every problem degrades one's native ability to cope with life's challenges.
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If you want another perspective
- By Kurt on 03-07-09
By: Christina Hoff Sommers, and others
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The Depths
- The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic
- By: Jonathan Rottenberg
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Nearly every depressed person is assured by doctors, well-meaning friends and family, the media, and ubiquitous advertisements that the underlying problem is a chemical imbalance. Such a simple defect should be fixable, yet despite all of the resources that have been devoted to finding a pharmacological solution, depression remains stubbornly widespread. Why are we losing this fight?
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Great read for understanding
- By Adam on 02-04-15
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Recover to Live
- Kick Any Habit, Manage Any Addiction: Your Self-Treatment Guide to Alcohol, Drugs, Eating Disorders, Gambling, Hoarding, Smoking, Sex, and Porn
- By: Christopher Kennedy Lawford
- Narrated by: Seth Michael Donsky
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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From New York Times bestselling author of Symptoms of Withdrawal and Moments of Clarity Christopher Kennedy Lawford comes a book that will save lives. For most of his early life, Christopher Kennedy Lawford battled life-threatening drug and alcohol addictions. Now in recovery for more than 25 years, he works to effect change and raise global awareness of addiction in nonprofit, private, and government circles, serving as the goodwill ambassador for drug dependence treatment and care for the United Nations.
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I didn't know I was a workaholic
- By wh on 06-17-13
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The Problem of Alzheimer's
- How Science, Culture, and Politics Turned a Rare Disease into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It
- By: Jason Karlawish
- Narrated by: Jason Karlawish, Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s, and more than half a million died because of the disease and its devastating complications. Sixteen million caregivers are responsible for paying as much as half of the $226 billion annual costs of their care. As more people live beyond their 70s and 80s, the number of patients will rise to an estimated 13.8 million by 2025. Part case studies, part meditation on the past, present and future of the disease, The Problem of Alzheimer's traces Alzheimer’s from its beginnings to its recognition as a crisis.
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A must read
- By kara kuntz on 05-20-21
By: Jason Karlawish
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The Panic Virus
- A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear
- By: Seth Mnookin
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Panic Virus is a gripping scientific detective story about how grassroots radicals, snake-oil salesmen, and cynical journalists have perpetrated the biggest health-scare hoax of all time. It explores what happens when the media treats all viewpoints as equally valid, regardless of facts, from parents who are convinced that vaccines caused their children's autism to right-wing radicals who believe that climate change is a myth
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Incredible thorough journey
- By Rachel Dewald on 03-22-11
By: Seth Mnookin
What listeners say about Anatomy of an Epidemic
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Soudant
- 08-09-10
I had no idea
This audio book is loaded with facts, data and information about the current epidemic of mental illness. 3.5 million children on Ritalin; 250 people a day going on Social Security Disability for various mental health issues. The solution has been to use truckloads of pharmaceuticals to control behavior or provide relief. The author presents a very convincing case that our systematic overdosing on these drugs is exacerbating a problem, indeed turning young children who act out in school into drugged young adults who, in some cases, have a life long dependency problem.
Until 1960 most of the modern psychological diseases that are prevalent in the US did not exist. Once big pharma ( the people who fill the evening news with chemical solutions for what ever ails you) cranked up its marketing machine it became essential for many of us to find the "right" pill.
This is an important book for anyone who has children or friend/relatives who may be taking or considering modern psychotropic drugs. This book makes a compelling case that the cure may be worse than the disease.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Brian Corbin
- 11-03-17
Must Read!
This was an eye openning book. If you are a fan of thorough research, you must check this out. The way Gary Taubes has changed the way I look at food, he has changed my view of a powerful class of drugs capable of changing brain chemistry. Thank you for telling this history.
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- Kay Kelison
- 05-30-24
This is a must read.
This book is filled with facts and timelines that tell a very sad but true story. Well organized and powerful-
I will recommend this to friends.
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- debra
- 08-06-12
A must read.
Even if you don't take an antidepressant, antianxiety or antipyschotic drug, you probably know someone who does. That is how widespread their use has become. Thus, the information in this book is essential. The truth is beginning to come out - this book is another important additon. It is comprehensive - so that if you haven't already read or heard about the problem, it is all presented here. And if you have heard about it, read it anyway because it contains important history, statistics, research and names. You won't be disappointed and it may change your life or the life of someone you care about.
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- Joy Casey
- 07-08-22
Utterly fascinating & most important
This is such an important book. I wish all of America could read it. And, it is so well written with many interesting stories. I give it the highest recommendation!
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- Dan
- 12-30-22
So glad I read this!
I am so glad that I read this during my training to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. yes, it does lean heavily toward one side but I wouldn't say that it is strongly antipsychiatric. Rather it calls I to question some very reasonable examples of the assumptions to psychiatric care. that seems reasonable given the deceptive, money injected history of psychiatry over the last few decades as detailed in the book.
I strongly recommend this read to anyone who is taking, is considering taking, or prescribes psychiatric medications. If for any reason but to develop a balanced perspective.
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- Private
- 04-28-23
PHARMACEUTICAL corruption started long ago.
It amazes me how the majority of individuals, during THESE modern times with unnumbered accounts of pharmaceutical companies corruption, knowingly and partnered w modern medical providers, and how they included government in their trillion dollar business.
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- Haakon B. Dahl
- 02-10-19
Well-supported, Compassionate, and Damning
An eye-opening book. If you have grown suspicious that medicating two-year-olds for supposed bi-polar disorder is wrong, and that the boom in mental illness is not what it's reported to be, then you have felt the skeleton of an ugly, primitive beast. Author Robert Whitaker puts the flesh on those bones, and reveals the whole shaggy shambling monster for what it is. Via the mental health racket, we are a society at war with itself, doing great damage and claiming great victories.
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1 person found this helpful
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- James
- 12-29-13
This Helps Explain A Lot Of Our Societal Ills
This is a great look at the inner world of mental illness and how society has dealt with it through the years. There are more mentally ill among us than ever before, but is that because of the medications that they’re on (or meant to be on, or perhaps misdiagnosed?) or does society just “catch and release”… or ignore more than before?
This book raises a lot of questions, and gives a lot of answers.
I really enjoyed the work of author Robert Whitaker, and I agree that there seems to be an epidemic among us as far as mentally ill and how we treat them.
If you want to learn about the history and current status of the treatment of the mentally ill (and some of the medications that most of them are administered), this is a must read book for you!
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- jlew662
- 08-03-22
A life changing book
I could not recommend this book more highly. The chapters on the hard science can feel a bit laborious for the average layperson, but they are necessary and ultimately make the book more powerful. After seeing the world “reacting” to the 2022 study on the lack of connection between serotonin and depression, you cannot help but laugh after reading this book. We’ve known this for almost 50 years by now and the evidence is presented thoroughly and compellingly. I understand that the author got attacked for writing it ten years ago but time has already proven him correct and I suspect will continue to.
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