The iconoclastic wisdom of David Nutt

This is not the first time Professor Nutt has challenged dearly held beliefs – as many sufferers of depression will gladly testifyIn the late 19th century the German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin described depression as a long-term illness that returned frequently and would become chronic – a definition that was accepted by British psychiatrists. And when the first antidepressants were created in the 60s, psychiatrists were delighted that they now had what seemed to be a cure for depression.However, it soon became clear to depressed people – and to many of us working in the psychiatric system – that antidepressants did not prevent recurrence and chronicity. Psychiatrists did not wish to admit this, because the only other treatment that we had for depression was ECT (electroconvulsive therapy).The pharmaceutical companies then advised psychiatrists to prescribe antidepressants as prophylactics that would stop the person getting depressed again. The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual,...

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