Greenberg uniquely comes at the project from several different points of view: he is a science writer (and a good one at that), a psychotherapist, a historian, an investigative journalist, a patient ...of depression, a volunteer for clinical research trials, and- perhaps most important- by the time you finish the book, something of a friend Atleast, Ifeltlikel was in thepresence of a friend, because Greenberg does a nice job keeping the reader company with his own often humorous and thoughtprovoking reflections about his project. Using his multiple hats, Greenberg explores the rise of psychiatric diagnosis, the insights of Freud and psychoanalysis, the controversies over talk therapy versus medications, the remarkable power of pharmaceutical marketers to get inside our heads, the experience of taking medications, the role of insurance companies and America's can-do attitude in the promotion of cognitive-behavioral therapy, how yesterday's phrenology compares with today's neuroscience and neuroimaging, and even how a magical afternoon taking ecstasy and fooling around with a room full of naked strangers can relieve depression. Since this is a review, I cannot go into the details but must move straight to the big questions.
