Drugs in American Society

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the use of drugs in American society. The paper presents two sides of an argument regarding the use of medication for the treatment of psychological ailments, such as depression. The paper argues in favor of the position that the growing medicalization of social ills, ranging from hyperactive children to various forms of soft addiction, cannot simply be addressed by one pill. The paper argues for a more tempered and critical approach to treatments that do not discount alternative therapies.

Table of Contents:
Happiness In A Pill
Better Than Well?
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"For ethicists such as Elliot and Kass, the market-driven nature of the pharmacological system should be a red flag. This does not mean one should be suspicious of every drug that rolls out, or that drug companies do not contribute significantly to maintaining public health. However, theirs is an argument for a more critical public approach. At the very least, there should be greater public information and public debate regarding the claims behind such drugs, especially for drugs that address non-medical ills, such as Paxil and Prozac."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Elliot, Carl. 2004. Better than Well: American Medicine Meets the American Dream. New York: Norton.
• Kramer, Peter. 1993. Listening to Prozac. New York: Viking.
• President's Council on Bioethics. 2003. Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness. New York: HarperCollins.
• Thoreau, Henry David. 1863. Life Without Principle. (repring). New York: Penguin.

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