u itli touching details and “mental-healthrnexpert” quotes. As moralih tales for thernmodern epidemic of mental disordersrnand luihappiness, these articles plav anrnimportant role in tlie medicalization ofrnmiscn, legitimizing a eritable drug warrnagainst the popidation. The old bruteforcernforms of soma also “work” —heroinrnnumbs the hopeless, marijuana pacifiesrnthe agitated, cocaine elates the jaded,rnamphetamines gie an edge to the aimlessrn—but the new forms can tweak andrntune much finer nuances of thought andrnfeeling on an almost da’-to-da’ basis.rnWithin ten ears of its introducfion bvrnf:ii Lillv & Co’, in 1987, Prozac had beenrntried b- 28 million people aromul thernworld, rogcthcrwith VN’ellbutrin, l”ffexor,rnSerzone, I.uo, Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax,rnAfian, Buspar, and other new designerrndrugs, sales are now in the tens of billionsrnof dollars annualK.rnSales hae been turthcr helped b thernexploding practice of prescribing thesernmedications to the oimg—sometimesrnthe Yen- x)iuig. According to the AmericanrnAcadem of Child and /XdolescentrnPschiatr, at least iie percent of youngrnchildren and adolescents are now clinicalKrndepressed. “We sec 2- and ?-earsarns Dr. Daid C. olds fairK regularKrnF’assler, author o( Help A/e, I’m Sad, arnbook about treating childhood depression.rn”We also see a lot of 5-, 6-, and 7-rnvear-okls.” The adolescent srucide raternhas quadrupled in the past 50 years. Thernpsschiatric profession, from a long-heldrnbelief that the yoimg do not get depressed,rnhas turned 180 degrees to an almo.rnst sinister willingness to start troubledrnkids on antidepressants en masse. Modernrnparents’ rehisal to “cope” patientlyrnand compassionateh’ with their children’srnpubescence is leading to its medicalizafionrnas well, to the detriment of thernchildren’s ps’ehological and physical de-rn’elopment.rnU.S. Surgeon General Daid Satchcrrnclaimed not long ago that “22 percent ofrnthe population has a diagnosahle mentalrndisorder,” whether anxictv (14.9 percent),rnmood swings (7.1 percent) or schizophreniarn(1.? percent) —and that doesn’trninclude depression, “bipolar” disorder,rnpschoses, other phobias, “borderline”rnpersonalities, ADD, ADHD, sociopathy,rnor ps}chopath’. The National MentalrnHealth Association claims that 24 percentrnof w omen and 1 5 percent of menrnw ill experience mild to se ere depressionrnat some ])oint in their lies. With rates ofrn”abnormality,” that high, either the termrn”mentally ill” has no meaning, or there isrnsomething terribly wrong with orrr socichrn—or perhaps both.rnDozens of books tell us how to dealrnwith “negative emotions” or people whornmake vou feel bad about yourself—ToxfcrnPeople, in the words of one srrch book’s titlern—and never once question why othersrnshould constitute a wolfish bane and notrna blessed resource.rnBrrt reading the endless articles orrnscanning the countless websites, chatrnrooms, newsgroups, and threads desotedrnto this or that phobia or syndrome, yournfind a complete lack of interest in whyrnall these psychosocial disorders are rife.rnWlw, for instance, should a mature, ^5-rnear-old wife and mother suddenh- “get”rnagoraphobia —fear of going out in public,rnfear of others—after a lifetime negotiatingrnthe terrain of society? The majorrnsentiments expressed by sufferers are eitherrn’Tm the victim of a deliberately misimderstoodrnand underappreciated disease,rnand, goddamnrit, Fm going to bernheard and recognized and get relief!” orrn”I Drug A] works so much better for merntiian [Drug B] —I swear by it, and dieyrnshould take that otiier crap off the market,rnbut of course the w on’t because it’srnso profitable.”rnThe ChroniclesfRockford Institute Coffee MugrnShow our .support for Chronicles every time vou drink coffee.rnOn one side. Chronicles: A Magazine of American CulturernOn the other, the Great Seal of The Roekford InstitnternDeep blue with gold • f^ishwasher and microwave safe • Works een with decaffeinated coffeernMug Order Form (please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery)rnSpecialrnIntroductory Pricern$13.95rn(For orders received by 12/31/01)rnNamernAddress_rnCity/State/Zip__rnIncludes shipping and handlingrnQuantity _rnTotalrnPlease mail form (with payment) to:rnChronicles/ProductsrnPO. Box 800, Mount Morris, IL 61054rnor, to o r d e r t o l l – f r e e ,rnAMUG11 call 1 – 8 0 0 – 3 9 7 – 8 1 60rnCheck or money order enclosedrnPlease bill my: | | MasterCard | | Visa | | AmexrnCard #rnExpiration DaternSignaturernNOVEMBER 2001/45rnrnrn