Psychotropic drugs

Psychiatrist Peter D. Kramer wrote "Listening to Prozac," an examination of the larger issues behind drugs that reshape temperament. Prozac is the most widely prescribed antidepressant today, with some four and a half million users since its introduction in 1987. Kramer raises serious questions about this "miracle mood enhancer": are we headed into an age of cosmetic pharmacology?

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.

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

What's wrong with the field of psychiatry? Psychiatrist Daniel Carlat says some American psychiatrists are too busy prescribing drugs to actually talk to people. Carla talks about the forgotten art of therapy and the influence of drug companies on the profession in his new book, Unhinged.

Lauren Slater is a journalist, practicing psychologist and a patient of psychotropic drugs - drugs that alter brain chemistry to treat problems like mood disorders and anxiety. She'll talk about her personal and professional experience with these drugs.