Do You Have a Psychiatric Medication?

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In the late 70s, psychiatric medications were still viewed with suspicion. "I thought over the long haul that we'd get a better result if we did not use medication," he says. After six months when his mother visits him, she's essentially appalled by what a sort of husk of a man he is. The psychiatrist there said he needs to learn how to stand on solid ground on his own and antidepressants would be maybe a temporary fix.

Ray Osheroff was a successful doctor in the DC area until his depression became debilitating. The way he was treated — and not treated — changed psychiatry. Rachel Aviv tells the surprising story of the rise of psychiatric medication.

Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan and edited by Matthew Collette. It was engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Noel King.

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