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Depression Delusion Volume One

Name: Depression Delusion Volume One
Author: Terry Lynch
ISBN: 978-1908561015

THE MYTH OF THE BRAIN CHEMICAL IMBALANCE

by Terry Lynch ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 2, 2015

An eye-opening look at how a singular theory of depression has pervaded and persuaded the medical world.

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In this first of three planned volumes, an Irish doctor and psychotherapist discusses the lack of scientific evidence for a long-held, widespread theory of depression.

Lynch (Beyond Prozac, 2001, etc.) provides hundreds of quotes from multiple sources—from the American Psychiatric Association, highly respected physicians, drug companies, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Mayo Clinic, just to name a few—that promote the idea that decreased levels of serotonin in the brain is the biological cause of depression. Lynch clearly and painstakingly analyzes and breaks down their arguments, refuting the claims based on his conviction that “There is no reliable scientific evidence…that brain chemical imbalances are known to be a feature of depression” and that “we do not know what serotonin levels should or should not be.” He includes several admirable, fervent missives to various editors at publishing companies whose medical textbooks include the theory of chemical imbalances, as well as to medical journals that espouse the same claims. Lynch’s basic complaint is that the authorities that the public deems trustworthy—such as government organizations, physicians, and scientists—have wittingly or unwittingly bamboozled them about the causes and appropriate treatments for depression. Consequently, he says, “The development of a comprehensive holistic understanding of depression has been thwarted.” The author also discusses how pharmaceutical companies, psychiatrists, and general practitioners have profited from the chemical imbalance theory and asserts that the psychological phenomenon of “Groupthink” has enabled the theory to become intractable. The author’s prodigious citations create a solid case for his beliefs. However, they eventually become a little too overwhelming, as his refutations of the chemical-imbalance concept grow wearingly repetitive. Still, this shouldn’t dissuade readers from delving into this scrupulous study of a topic that holds profound consequences for so many people.

An eye-opening look at how a singular theory of depression has pervaded and persuaded the medical world.

Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2015

ISBN: 978-1908561015

Page Count: -

Publisher: Mental Health Publishing

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.