Posted by joe schmoe on July 12, 2011, at 16:01:10
In reply to Re: Peter Breggin - mixed feelings » sigismund, posted by mtdewcmu on July 12, 2011, at 15:40:52
I read "Listening to Prozac" before starting any SSRIs and it actually got me real excited - as an introverted, shy, anxious person, I loved the idea of a pill that would make me outgoing, popular, and successful. Unfortunately, Kramer greatly overstates the effects of SSRIs. They certainly never changed my personality in the ways he describes in his anecdotes, where people go from hiding in the basement to millionaire pushy car salesmen and socially dominant corporate executives. (Okay, I am exaggerating a little, but not much.) I know a lot of people on antidepressants; none of them have had a change in personality from introvert to extrovert.
On the other hand, these things are definitely not placebos. Anybody who has tried a bunch of ADs, and finally found success on one of them while getting no benefit from the others, knows they can't be placebos, or the first one would have worked just fine.
poster:joe schmoe
thread:990777
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110630/msgs/990830.html