Antidepressants

Anne Harrington chronicles the search for a biological understanding of mental illness. She believes the revolution in medication has left behind a legacy of over-diagnosis and over-medication.

Andrew Solomon, the author of The Noonday Demon, discusses the challenges of pregnancy for women who are depressed. The long-term effects of antidepressants taken during pregnancy are unclear.

In his new book, Charles Barber argues that Americans are over-prescribed antidepressants. Biological psychiatry, says Barber, is no substitute for psychotherapy.

Dr. Samuel Barondes is a professor and director of the Center for Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of California. He's also the author of the new book, Better than Prozac: Creating the Next Generation of Psychiatric Drugs. In the book he traces the history and analyzes the effectiveness of the current crop of antidepressants and considers the drugs of the future.

Dr. Harry Zall is a psychiatrist at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital. He joins the show to discuss mental depression.