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Better Than Prozac: Creating the Next Generation of Psychiatric Drugs

by Samuel H Barondes

Better Than Prozac: Creating the Next Generation of Psychiatric Drugs Cover

ISBN13: 9780195179798
ISBN10: 019517979x
Condition: Standard
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Publisher Comments:

Every day millions of people take psychiatric drugs. In Better Than Prozac Samuel Barondes considers the benefits and limitations of Prozac, Ritalin, Valium, Risperdal, and other widely used medications and the ways that superior ones are being created.

In tracing the early history of these drugs Barondes describes the accidental observations that led to their discovery and their great impact on our view of mental illness. He goes on to show how their unexpected therapeutic effects were attributed to their influence on neurotransmitters that carry signals in the brain and how this guided their improvement.

But Barondes reminds us that, like the originals, current psychiatric drugs don't always work, and often have negative side effects. Furthermore, none were crafted as remedies for known brain abnormalities. In contrast, the design of the drugs of the future will be based on a different approach: an understanding of the molecular mechanisms that give rise to specific patterns of mental symptoms. Using colorful examples of contemporary research, he shows how it is gradually leading to a new generation of psychiatric medications.

A lucid evaluation of psychopharmacology, Better Than Prozac offers a deep understanding of psychiatric drugs for people who take them, those who are considering them, and those who are just fascinated by the powerful effects of these simple chemicals on our thoughts and our feelings.

About the Author

Samuel H. Barondes, M.D., is Jeanne and Sanford Robertson Professor and Director of the Center for Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. His books include Molecules and Mental Illness and Mood Genes: Hunting for Origins of Mania and Depression, both selected as "Great Brain Books" by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

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crowyhead, May 20, 2007 (view all comments by crowyhead)
98. Better Than Prozac: Creating the Next Generation of Psychiatric Drugs Samuel H. Barondes (4/5)

This is a very interesting (if now slightly dated -- it came out in 2003), brief work on how psychiatric drugs (antipsychotics, antidepressants, antianxiety meds, etc.) were originally developed, and how new, hopefully better drugs will be developed in the future. I found it to be quite informative and enlightening -- it helped me better understand what exactly it means when doctors say that one patient metabolizes a drug quickly or slowly, for example, and I found it fascinating to learn how many psychiatric drugs were originally developed with the intent of treating completely different ailments. The downside to the book, besides being a bit dated now, is that Barondes is a clear, but not compelling, writer. He's good at imparting information, but the book's really dry, and he isn't very good at making his composite patients sound like real people.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780195179798
Subtitle:
Creating the Next Generation of Psychiatric Drugs
Author:
Barondes, Samuel H
Author:
Barondes, Samuel H.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press, USA
Subject:
Psychopharmacology
Subject:
Antidepressants
Subject:
Psychiatry - Psychopharmacology
Subject:
Life Sciences | Neurobiology
Publication Date:
February 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
3 line illus.
Pages:
219
Dimensions:
8.57x5.58x.59 in. .69 lbs.

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