Of Two Minds

Nine out of ten psychiatrists now limit their practice to the prescription of psychotropic drugs. But do the drugs work? Do people really get better? Does talk therapy work? Are mental illnesses really biological illnesses? Science writer Kas Thomas tackles these and other topics in a provocative book based partly on personal experience (Thomas’s experience with bipolar disorder, and his wife’s experience with schizoaffective disorder) and partly on scientific research. Over 300 footnotes provide entry points to the literature on depression, dysthymia, bipolar illness, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, alcoholism, and other disorders, with pointers to the latest research, also, on antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, ketamine therapy, and alternative therapies (with special advice on how to choose a therapist).