Coming of Age on Zoloft Paperback – June 5, 2012

Ms. Sharpe deserves great praise for this work, which puts into easy-to-read and engaging writing the issues surrounding antidepressant use in our society today and the way its increased prevalence has shaped the debate of what is considered "mental illness" as opposed to the normal ups and downs of life. Sharpe also raises thought-provoking questions about the way antidepressant use affects one's sense of self and one's relationship with his or her own thoughts, and thoughtfully frames the discussion in the context of the American ideal of being both authentic and happy, a paradigm that seems difficult to reconcile with antidepressant use or lack thereof for a depressed individual. The author provides not only scientific and sociological research but also personal context for each of the topics touched upon. Most importantly, this book is very important in today's day and age, as more and more Americans are on antidepressants than ever before, especially those starting from a young age; Ms. Sharpe's use of interview snippets from many young people who have struggled with depression, anxiety, and other issues and faced their own soul-searching in the process of taking medication buttresses her claims and provides a much-needed personal touch. Highly recommended and am looking forward to future written works by Katherine Sharpe.

Antidepressant use in children and adolescents, as well as their continued use into adulthood, is an interesting topic that is covered well in this book. The book makes you ask tough questions, and look hard at the use of antidepressants. The book brings up new issues, and deals with them through interviews and well-written commentary throughout. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who has ever taken an antidepressant, or is interested in the field of psychology.

This is not your typical hack job against drugs -- this book is thoughtful and well researched. I love the way she integrates her own experience with information, like how antidepressants were discovered, the problems with defining depression anyway, and thoughts about how we as a whole culture feel about happiness and success. A long time ago, I came to realize that parents who say "I only want my child to be happy" are the most demanding parents of all. My own children have both had "happiness" problems and I wish I had had this book a long time ago. It doesn't tell you that antidepressants are uselesss -- quite the contrary. She talked to a lot of people with different experiences. But this book makes you think, and if you or your children need to take antidepressants, this book will help you talk about it.

This book could be useful for anyone considering taking anti-depressants to gain an understanding of the pros and cons. The personal accounts are all young people, but many of the issues could apply to pelple of any age. I am a person of age and found the discussion to be very interesting and helpful.

Good and informative read but I felt the author ONLY interviewed grad students or private school students, not community college, vocational, or trade school students. Definitely felt a lack of diversity with possible little minorities included. Only con since she did describe some of the students. Sharpe does raise some good questions to ask yourself when it comes to being properly diagnosed, medication use, the medical systems role, and how the media influences how we talk about these issues. Hopefully in the near future we find out the long term effects of being on either antidepressants and/or antipsychotics for 10+ years.

Coming of Age on Zoloft by Sharpe offers a multidimensional critique of Zoloft and other SSRI antidepressants. Sharpe offers multiple perspectives on the prescription and usage of antidepressants. While Sharpe is biased towards talk therapy over psychiatry, she does offer multiple perspectives. While Sharpe alone is unqualified to make arguments since she has minimal training in the field of psychology, she approaches most topics with evidence that is both anecdotal and scholarly. Sharpe interviews those who have been prescribed and used SSRIs for their experience as well as talking to professionals in the field. Sharpe’s anecdotal interviews shouldn’t be undermined since real life experience is valuable. Sharpe offers a history as well as an explanation of how SSRIs work. She then discusses different avenues for treating depression and other illnesses that SSRIs treat. Overall Sharpe offers a somewhat biased but still accurate representation of SSRIs. While Sharpe is biased towards talk therapy, she does not let that get in the way of her analysis. Sharpe interviewed many people who have intersections with the treatment and diagnosis of depression/anxiety/etc. Sharpe not only details her experience with depression and anxiety and the treatment of, but she also includes excerpts of interviews she has had with others who have been on or currently are on SSRIs. Sharpe also interviewed professionals in the field, including but not limited to psychiatrists and psychologists. It is evident that Sharpe carefully planned her book as it is full of multiple perspectives with an abundance of evidence.The mechanisms of SSRIs were overall correct, but perhaps could have been a bit more detailed. However, since the author is a fiction writer and not a neuroscientist or a psychiatrist or a psychologist, this incomplete analysis is understandable. Sharpe mentions in her book that she did take an introduction to pharmacology course during her undergraduate career to better understand the SSRI that was prescribed to her. So, while her analysis of SSRIs are correct, they are not whole.Sharpe addresses the uprising of SSRIs. It details that the Lilly company “considered marketing its new compound as a blood pressure medicine” but soon discovered that the drug possessed antidepressant properties. This compound commonly known as Prozac soon replaced tranquilizers. Biomedical approaches to mental illnesses soon started to take over talk therapy, which Sharpe criticizes but yet still offers the positive and negative consequences. Sharpe correctly explained both negative and positive consequences of the biomedical approach to mental illness in an unbiased manner which is applaudable. Sharpe described that the research of drug treatment as a whole is more easily funded compared to talk therapies. Since drug treatment can be tracked easier with quantifiable research that is easy to understand and is less subject to discrepancies, funding is thus more prominent.Sharpe goes on to explain the interactions of talk therapy (specifically CBT) and prescription drugs. The study she referenced found that CBT and Prozac alone were both highly efficient at treating depression, the combination provided a boost of symptom relief earlier in treatment. The Dodo Bird verdict is also discussed minimally. Sharpe explains that some research is indicative that all psychotherapies, regardless of their specific techniques produce equivalent outcomes. Sharpe went on to explain that this research is frustrating for those in the field and for those seeking help since it may be difficult to pinpoint why talk therapy works. Frustratingly, research lacks for an abundance of therapies. There is a surplus of research regarding CBT therapy, which is very formulaic and can be completed in a limited amount of sessions. Sharpe theorizes that CBT is funded more than other therapies because CBT has a high reliability. By this I mean that CBT can be completed the same way by multiple people. Sharpe then offers an explanation of why the biomedical approach seems to be increasing. Sharpe offers the simple explanation that prescribing drugs simply pays more compared to talking. 4 sessions in 1 hour of drug checks pays significantly more compared to 1 one-hour talk therapy session. Sharpe says this is good for insurance companies, which she argues is profit-driven. On the topic of talk therapy, Sharpe discusses not only her process and evaluation of talk therapy but she also discusses other people’s as well. Sharpe explains her troubles with talk therapy and why she thinks some therapies worked better for her as opposed to other therapies. While she agrees that SSRIs helped lessen her symptoms, Sharpe still posed existential questions and problems. Sharpe would often reflect on whether what she was feeling was a genuine feeling or a feeling composed by her prescription. She also felt that occasionally she reacted inappropriately and she also wondered if that was a product of her medication. Since Sharpe is a writer, she feels that her creativity comes from her anxiety and from her deep thoughts of what life is. She felt that when she was prescribed SSRIs, this creative edge was lifted from her. She wonders if this was a products of the SSRIs as well, and contemplated cancelling her prescription since she was not meeting her deadlines or fulfilling her own personal writing standards. Overall Sharpe, though biased, approaches her arguments with evidence. Sharpe wrote a well-detailed multi-dimensional review on SSRIs and touched on many main points. Sharpe accurately explained SSRI’s past and how they showed up in pop culture. Sharpe also illustrated many arguments for and against the biomedical treatment of mental illness. While Sharpe is not in the field of mental health, it seems that she has done extensive research on the arguments she presented. Sharpe did comprehensive interviews with providers, researchers, patients and those affected by the usage of prescription drugs. This book would be very helpful for many. This book could be recommended for those on the fence of biomedical treatment, those prescribing and emerging professionals would all benefit from this book. Not only is the book comprehensive, but it is also very easy to read and the chapters are well organized. This reads as a novel, making it easy to sit down and read it.

I couldn't finish the book. I think it would have been better written as an article, not a whole book.

Great book that gives insight and historical information for anyone on antidepressants.

Makes you think. Recommend this book!

As someone who has struggled with medication and the idea of taking it this book was a godsend. The see that many others have felt trapped in a kind of confused and existential crisis makes you feel more normal.

Excellent - well written, reassuring and comprehensive. Very interesting.