Irrational Medicine [Paperback]

Jeffrey Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2005

Nearly 20 million people take antidepressants and use is increasing by 10 percent a year.

Have antidepressants really been proven to be effective?

Has the prevalence of depression decreased since these "effective treatments" have been discovered? It should have, shouldn't it?

Why is depression increasingly viewed as a chronic condition requiring life long treatment, when we now have "effective treatment" for it?

Does a prescription for antidepressants mean that a doctor is doing their job?

Author Jeffrey Wilson draws upon his personal 23 year experience taking psychiatric drugs and his knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry to expose a medical model of treatment that is dangerous and out of control. Irrational Medicine shows how doctors ignored various causes for his depression and prescribed drug after drug to "cure" him. Eventually the side effects of the drugs caused him to be diagnosed with ADD and Bipolar Disorder. He then discovered the truth about psychiatric drugs and found a way to get out of his pharmaceutical coma through alternative healing methods.

Irrational Medicine puts the spotlight on a drug crisis that is still in the making - the control and consumption of mood-regulating drugs, such as Prozac and other antidepressants and a much wider problem - continuing human dependence on corporate and professional power. This is a unique and penetrating look into the true effectiveness of psychiatric drugs.

Jeffrey Wilson is a story teller with a voice that doesn’t get out of your head. It will make you cry and keep you turning the pages.

This book combines the elements of memoir, psychology and self help to provide a road map to emotional healing. It is a story of hope with the message that depression is not a disease like the drug companies want us to believe. We are not helpless and we can live a normal and happy life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...exposes many of the fallacies about the benefits of long-term antidepressant therapy... -- Pendulum.org

It did something for me that no doctor or psychologist ever could...it should be mandatory material for medical schools. -- Joao Morerira, Minneapolis, MN

It is one of the clearest, most logical, most sobering treatises on the subject that we have ever seen. -- Dan Stradford, Safe Harbor

About the Author

Jeffrey Wilson is a survivor of 23 years of psychiatric drug treatment, a former pharmaceutical industry executive and author of Irrational Medicine: The Antidepressant Crisis And How To Avoid Unnecessary Behavioral Drugs. His writing comes directly from personal experience and deep research. Jeffrey has a street level knowledge that allows him to talk about depression and psychiatric drugs in ways that no doctor ever would.

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: Gracia Publishing (January 19, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0976399105
• ISBN-13: 978-0976399100
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,700,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dose of Truth, July 12, 2005

By 

Debbie Thurman "Cedar House Publishers/Sheer ... (Monroe, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Irrational Medicine (Paperback)

I feel as if I have met a kindred spirit in the pages of "Irrational Medicine." Jeff Wilson's page-turning narrative parallels the experiences of far too many people who have languished in the no-man's land of medical "treatment" for depression and anxiety. As one of those folks myself, I cheered him on in his quest to leave that land behind and seek authentic healing.

The author pauses in his narrative to point out each truth he learned on the road to healing that exposes the prevailing medical model of depression treatment as the fraud it is: The existence of chemical imbalances (before being subjected to prescribed toxic chemicals) is a highly subjective belief with no medical proof. Many antidepressants really are addicting. Overmedication is common. Mental health in general is not getting better; rather it is getting worse as patients suffer from adverse drug reactions that psychiatrists and Big Pharma downplay. And more.

"Irrational Medicine" tells it like it is. People caught between warring practitioners and the PR propaganda messages of drug companies and so-called mental health advocates will find refreshing truth and transparency in this book. Wilson has helped to turn back the veil of ignorance surrounding psychiatric drugs and how best to help those who are emotionally or psychologically wounded, which is a more realistic description of mental illness than brain disease.

Be prepared for a surprise twist in the author's own story near the end of the book. I found myself slapping my thigh and saying, "I knew it." It's a common theme among the depressed, including me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a magic bullet, April 17, 2009

By 

Michael Leahy "The Database Man" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irrational Medicine (Paperback)

This book promises the Holy Grail that depression sufferers are seeking. That would be... a way to climb out of the cellar of depression itself.

I know the author, and while he and I may not agree that it takes someone who has suffered depression to show the way out, I have found that people trust someone who has been on the journey themselves - and has arrived at full mental health and stayed there.

But if you are one of those people who are sure that you can trust guidance from someone who has been down the same road you're on right now, then this is your book. While the book doesn't contain a step-by-step recipe for breaking free, you will know what you need to do by the time you read the last chapter.

I would rate the book a perfect five stars if it had a step-by-step recipe, but I'm not sure the challenge of depression lends itself to a cookie cutter approach. Instead of a magic formula, Jeff's book will make it clear that you're not alone in your struggle with today's "solutions" and treatments while he also gets you to see for yourself what your path out of depression will be, once and for all.