Do antidepressants work? Of course—everyone knows it. Like his colleagues, Irving Kirsch, a researcher and clinical psychologist, for years referred patients to psychiatrists to have their depression treated with drugs before deciding to investigate for himself just how effective the drugs actually were. Over the course of the past fifteen years, however, Kirsch's research—a thorough analysis of decades of Food and Drug Administration data—has demonstrated that what everyone knew about antidepressants was wrong. Instead of treating depression with drugs, we've been treating it with suggestion. The Emperor's New Drugs makes an overwhelming case that what had seemed a cornerstone of psychiatric treatment is little more than a faulty consensus. But Kirsch does more than just criticize: he offers a path society can follow so that we stop popping pills and start proper treatment for depression.

Do antidepressants work? Of course -- everyone knows it. Like his colleagues, Irving Kirsch, a researcher and clinical psychologist, for years referred patients to psychiatrists to have their depression treated with drugs before deciding to investigate for himself just how effective the drugs actually were. Over the course of the past fifteen years, however, Kirsch's research -- a thorough analysis of decades of Food and Drug Administration data -- has demonstrated that what everyone knew about antidepressants was wrong. Instead of treating depression with drugs, we've been treating it with suggestion. The Emperor's New Drugs makes an overwhelming case that what had seemed a cornerstone of psychiatric treatment is little more than a faulty consensus. But Kirsch does more than just criticize: he offers a path society can follow so that we stop popping pills and start proper treatment for depression.

Due to the recent explosion of placebo research at many levels the Editors believe that a volume on Placebo would be a good addition to the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology series. In particular, this volume will be built up on a meeting on Placebo which will be held in Tuebingen (Germany) in January 2013, and where the most prominent researchers in this field will present and exchange their ideas. The authors who will be invited to write chapters for this volume will be the very same speakers at this meeting, thus guaranteeing high standard and excellence in the topic that will be treated. The approach of the book is mainly pharmacological, including basic research and clinical trials, and the contents range from different medical conditions and systems, such as pain and the immune system, to different experimental approaches, like in vivo receptor binding and pharmacological/behavioral conditioning. Overall, the volume will give an idea of modern placebo research, of timely concepts in both experimental and clinical pharmacology, as well as of modern methods and tools in neuroscience.

Updated with bonus material, including a new foreword and afterword with new research, this New York Times bestseller is essential reading for a time when mental health is constantly in the news. 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? Interwoven with Whitaker’s groundbreaking analysis of the merits of psychiatric medications are the personal stories of children and adults swept up in this epidemic. As Anatomy of an Epidemic reveals, other societies have begun to alter their use of psychiatric medications and are now reporting much improved outcomes . . . so why can’t such change happen here in the United States? Why have the results from these long-term studies—all of which point to the same startling conclusion—been kept from the public? Our nation has been hit by an epidemic of disabling mental illness, and yet, as Anatomy of an Epidemic reveals, the medical blueprints for curbing that epidemic have already been drawn up. Praise for Anatomy of an Epidemic “The timing of Robert Whitaker’s Anatomy of an Epidemic, a comprehensive and highly readable history of psychiatry in the United States, couldn’t be better.”—Salon “Anatomy of an Epidemic offers some answers, charting controversial ground with mystery-novel pacing.”—TIME “Lucid, pointed and important, Anatomy of an Epidemic should be required reading for anyone considering extended use of psychiatric medicine. Whitaker is at the height of his powers.” —Greg Critser, author of Generation Rx

"Medical nihilism is the view that we should have little confidence in the effectiveness of medical interventions. This book argues that medical nihilism is a compelling view of modern medicine. If we consider the frequency of failed medical interventions, the extent of misleading evidence in medical research, the thin theoretical basis of many interventions, and the malleability of empirical methods in medicine, and if we employ our best inductive framework, then our confidence in the effectiveness of medical interventions ought to be low" --

Would you like to lose five pounds, stop your hot flashes and sleep better, THIS WEEK? These results are attainable when your hormones get into balance. The author explains how natural, safe solutions can bring fast results that last. From her twenty-three years of experience in the health field, and after helping thousands of women at her Lancaster, Pa. health center, she has noted growing trends that ALL stem from a simple hormone imbalance: The inability for women to lose weight efficiently after the age of 35 due to a slowed metabolism. The increased use of strong mood medications for depression/anxiety that do not improve mood satisfactorily for most women and also cause unpleasant side effects. The increase in fatigue experienced by women and the increased use of synthetic thyroid medication that does not satisfactorily resolve all the woman's symptoms. The increased use of the birth control pill for heavy, painful periods and menstrual irregularity that temporarily solves the problem but will cause health issues over time. The increased number of ablations, hysterectomies and other invasive procedures performed for cysts, fibroids, endometriosis. Women still fear breast cancer due to not knowing its true cause. CONCLUSION: Frustration is rising due to NOT getting validation about concerns or answers on these issues from the medical field or health/nutrition industry! Are Your Hormones Imbalanced? Perhaps your hormones have "shifted" a bit due to stress, age, pregnancy or menopause. Are you left feeling frustrated from trying to deal with many issues that do not seem to respond to diet, exercise, herbs, medication or even surgical procedures? Learn the ONE MAIN hormonal "shift" that occurs in almost all American women, starting at puberty and peaking around menopause along with its ONE MAIN origin. The author will give you simple steps on how to reverse this hormonal "shift" so that within a month you can be: Losing weight quickly (even if NOTHING worked up until now) Relieving your hot flashes/night sweats Deepening your sleep Easing your anxiety/irritability and mood swings Seeing your depression lift Regulating your menstrual cycle - easing symptoms of PMS Decreasing your chance of female-related cancers Reversing your other PMS/menopausal symptoms or conditions that affect your overall health. You will understand that when hormones are balanced you will look and feel your best while preventing female-related cancers...and slowing the aging process as an extra benefit! If you are one of the many women saying.... These constant hot flashes are driving me crazy! Is everyone around me trying to get on my last nerve? I'm counting FLOCKS of sheep and still can't sleep! I'm working out, eating like a bird and can't lose a single pound! Sex? Are you kidding? I'd rather be sleeping or eating. My thyroid medicine just doesn't seem like it's helping me lose weight. Depressed? That's an understatement, nothing is really fun anymore.This book is a must-read!