We air our feelings and dirty laundry on television talk shows. Many Americans rely on advice from a therapist to get them through daily crises and boost our self-esteem. The news media constantly relays stories of people "at risk". And our lunch conversations are sprinkled with the phrases "scarred for life," "emotionally fragile", and "How did I get here." Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com.eg%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Drpv1cI7MI34C%26hl%3Den

For those who are not in the biz, it may surprise you to learn that the FDA does not decide what a drug is indicated for. It only decides if the indication that Pharma chooses to request is approved or not. If Risperdal is approved for bipolar mania but not maintenance, it doesn't mean that it isn't safe and efficacious for maintenance; or that there isn't a huge collection of data affirming this. It means Janssen didn't ask the FDA for the approval. In other words, 95% of the decision for an indication is made by the folks down at Pharma marketing. All the FDA can do is say yes or no.

a critique of the DSM ... to read

more than half of DSM panel had ties with pharmaceuticals

approacheswhich fundamentally challenge the theory or practice of mainstream psychiatry and biological psychiatry in particular