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Sedated: How Modern Capitalism Created our Mental Health Crisis
A provocative and shocking look at how western society is misunderstanding and mistreating mental illness. Perfect for fans of Empire of Pain and Dope Sick.In Britain alone, more than 20% of the adult population take a psychiatric drug in any one year. This is an increase of over 500% since 1980 and the numbers continue to grow. Yet, despite this prescription epidemic, levels of mental illness of all types have actually increased in number and severity.Using a wealth of studies, interviews with experts, and detailed analysis, Dr James Davies argues that this is because we have fundamentally mischaracterised the problem. Rather than viewing most mental distress as an understandable reaction to wider societal problems, we have embraced a medical model which situates the problem solely within the sufferer and their brain. Urgent and persuasive, Sedated systematically examines why this individualistic view of mental illness has been promoted by successive governments and big business - and why it is so misplaced and dangerous.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2021
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James Davies
124 books98 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 302 reviews
November 20, 2021
This is the first book I've read that examines mental health in a sociopolitical context, and it was a breath of fresh air. Last year, I had a video appointment with my new primary care doctor because I was dealing with burnout and depression from severe job stress. Five minutes into the call, the doctor told me she would write me a prescription for antidepressants. I'd never met this doctor before, she didn't know anything about my life or the circumstances that led me to feel depressed and burned out—yet she was happy to give me a prescription for psychiatric drugs within minutes.
The entire appointment was 15 minutes long, and it really rattled me. It implied that there was nothing wrong with my situation, but rather there was something wrong with me. If you're stressed and exhausted by a high stress job during a global pandemic, the doctor seemed to suggest, you should fix yourself with drugs, rather than working to fix the external circumstances. I didn't take the prescription, but that appointment stayed with me.
Mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum, separate from everything else that happens in a person's life. Sometimes people are severely depressed without any clear cause, and they need medication to function. But often, as James Davies argues in this book, people are depressed or anxious for good reasons. They don't need drugs to paper over their problems; they need things like decent housing, a living wage, fulfilling work, strong community ties, rewarding relationships, time to rest and pursue hobbies, or the support of a patient, competent therapist.
As Sedated takes great pains to explain, rather than fixing the social and economic issues that cause people to feel depressed or anxious, the current mental health system hands out psychiatric drugs like candy or rushes people through ineffective, vacuous therapy with the goal of getting people back to work as quickly as possible. Based on my "antidepressants in five minutes" doctors appointment, this is definitely a thing.
The central thesis of this book is that mental health is too "medicalized" and low-grade anxiety and depression are conceptualized as chemical imbalances within an individual's brain, rather than understandable, rational reactions to living in a very stressful world. Why would this be so? In Davies' view, the medical establishment does this because it exists in neoliberal capitalism—which is all about individual responsibility, productivity, and buying products to solve all of your problems.
Because I've never read any psychological or psychiatric literature that actually bothers to situate mental health care within the culture context in which its practice, this book was a thrill to read. Other books I've read on this subject treat mental health as separate and distinct from the socioeconomic context in which it appears. Sedated, on the other hand blends together a compelling critique of the mental health industry, politicians, drug companies, and neoliberalism.
Some readers may find the book's conclusion rather depressing (spoiler: we can't really do anything about the increasing rates of anxiety and depression and the staggering amounts of unnecessary psychiatric drug prescriptions until we get rid of capitalism), but I think that the conclusion, while unfortunate, is very honest. These problems won't go away with a bit more government funding, a new meditation app, or a bunch of academic studies—because they aren't just problems with the mental health industry; they are problems with our entire economic system.
I'm not sure how this book would land with people who aren't some flavor of communist/socialist/anarchist/other leftist, or at least quite progressive. But if you're already sympathetic to the idea that capitalism isn't meeting our needs, this book makes a compelling case that capitalism is atrocious for mental health. Readers may find reassurance in the fact that mental health issues aren't just imbalanced chemicals in your head; they are a product of the precarious, unequal, often grueling society we live in.
The entire appointment was 15 minutes long, and it really rattled me. It implied that there was nothing wrong with my situation, but rather there was something wrong with me. If you're stressed and exhausted by a high stress job during a global pandemic, the doctor seemed to suggest, you should fix yourself with drugs, rather than working to fix the external circumstances. I didn't take the prescription, but that appointment stayed with me.
Mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum, separate from everything else that happens in a person's life. Sometimes people are severely depressed without any clear cause, and they need medication to function. But often, as James Davies argues in this book, people are depressed or anxious for good reasons. They don't need drugs to paper over their problems; they need things like decent housing, a living wage, fulfilling work, strong community ties, rewarding relationships, time to rest and pursue hobbies, or the support of a patient, competent therapist.
As Sedated takes great pains to explain, rather than fixing the social and economic issues that cause people to feel depressed or anxious, the current mental health system hands out psychiatric drugs like candy or rushes people through ineffective, vacuous therapy with the goal of getting people back to work as quickly as possible. Based on my "antidepressants in five minutes" doctors appointment, this is definitely a thing.
The central thesis of this book is that mental health is too "medicalized" and low-grade anxiety and depression are conceptualized as chemical imbalances within an individual's brain, rather than understandable, rational reactions to living in a very stressful world. Why would this be so? In Davies' view, the medical establishment does this because it exists in neoliberal capitalism—which is all about individual responsibility, productivity, and buying products to solve all of your problems.
Because I've never read any psychological or psychiatric literature that actually bothers to situate mental health care within the culture context in which its practice, this book was a thrill to read. Other books I've read on this subject treat mental health as separate and distinct from the socioeconomic context in which it appears. Sedated, on the other hand blends together a compelling critique of the mental health industry, politicians, drug companies, and neoliberalism.
Some readers may find the book's conclusion rather depressing (spoiler: we can't really do anything about the increasing rates of anxiety and depression and the staggering amounts of unnecessary psychiatric drug prescriptions until we get rid of capitalism), but I think that the conclusion, while unfortunate, is very honest. These problems won't go away with a bit more government funding, a new meditation app, or a bunch of academic studies—because they aren't just problems with the mental health industry; they are problems with our entire economic system.
I'm not sure how this book would land with people who aren't some flavor of communist/socialist/anarchist/other leftist, or at least quite progressive. But if you're already sympathetic to the idea that capitalism isn't meeting our needs, this book makes a compelling case that capitalism is atrocious for mental health. Readers may find reassurance in the fact that mental health issues aren't just imbalanced chemicals in your head; they are a product of the precarious, unequal, often grueling society we live in.
March 6, 2022
Davies’ book is a powerful and incredibly sobering examination of just how much damage modern capitalism and ‘big pharma’ companies have done to our global mental health.
The crux of the issue is due to a conglomeration of issues: unregulated pharmaceutical companies, doctor’s reliance on issuing anti-depressants despite no scientific evidence that they even work (in fact there is more evidence to suggest they do more damage than good in the long term), broad psychological misdiagnosis issues from doctors, a focus more on the individual being the ‘problem’ and not our modern societies and the work environments we now all work in.
Davies’ uses his own research and references many scientific reports into the area, all of which suggest urgent revolutionary attention is needed before we spiral further into despair.
I assure you it is not all doom and gloom, rather it is sobering and incredibly enlightening! It has certainly helped shaped my own thoughts and feelings.
‘Sedated’ easily ranks as one of the most eye-opening books I have read in the past few years and it will be a title I will come to recommend as a perennial great read.
The crux of the issue is due to a conglomeration of issues: unregulated pharmaceutical companies, doctor’s reliance on issuing anti-depressants despite no scientific evidence that they even work (in fact there is more evidence to suggest they do more damage than good in the long term), broad psychological misdiagnosis issues from doctors, a focus more on the individual being the ‘problem’ and not our modern societies and the work environments we now all work in.
Davies’ uses his own research and references many scientific reports into the area, all of which suggest urgent revolutionary attention is needed before we spiral further into despair.
I assure you it is not all doom and gloom, rather it is sobering and incredibly enlightening! It has certainly helped shaped my own thoughts and feelings.
‘Sedated’ easily ranks as one of the most eye-opening books I have read in the past few years and it will be a title I will come to recommend as a perennial great read.
November 19, 2023
The book is provocative and mind-expanding yet a little delusive. It exposes how big pharma, schemy policies, and greedy politicians are partly responsible for the decline in public mental health. The book focuses on UK political, historical, and economic issues. I had little context in these, so I learned a lot.
Book’s strengths:
1. The book is well-researched from the first to the last page. When the author makes a claim, he adds a source to support it. If the claim is shaky, he explains the mixed findings around it. Honest and beautiful. That’s how you gain your readers’ trust. Some writers expect to be believed just because they publish their claims in a book format—James Davies is not among them.
2. Unusual take on the mental health crisis. While most books focus on individual and societal levels, the author also looks at mental health issues in political and economic scope. It broadened my perspective on mental and societal issues and also partly horrified me to learn how flawed health systems still are and how policies can be implemented for the gain of companies at the cost of people.
3. Entertaining, easy to read, and informative. The book is written in a reader-friendly style for the most part; it is neither dry nor dull. It kept me entertained, too, as it offered a conspiracy-type feeling reading it, especially regarding Big Pharma and their shady ways of selling more antidepressants. The author’s findings seem almost unbelievable. More so, he interviews so many different professionals — I gained a lot of psychological insights for myself and many curious little findings (for example, drivers with expensive cars tend to be less polite on the roads as they internally feel better than others).
Book's shortcomings:
1. Misleading title. Capitalism is not at fault for "creating" mental health crisis. There is never a scapegoat for an issue so complex, which the author also agrees on. Things like harmful policies, greedy politicians, and corruptive values (materialism, greed, selfishness) can exist in every economic system. Sure, capitalism has flaws, especially the free-market neoliberal one the author tackles most. It's "too profit-based", fair enough. But capitalism can take many forms, depending on who navigates it and how. As someone from an ex-Soviet country, I wouldn't want to idealize overthrowing capitalism for "equality" and greater well-being. We already did that once, and we all know how that went.
2. Unnecessary details. I understand that writing a nonfiction book, you want to add some life to it. But that's not it. So many chapters could be removed, and nothing would be lost. For example, he begins describing his interviewee:
"Jack Graham cut a larger-than-life and jovial figure when I met him at his private sports club just outside London… He was wearing a three-piece suit and a bright yellow tie, which proudly ballooned out from the top of his herringbone waistcoat."
Or he begins his new chapter by:
"I sit alone on the top floor of my university library. The view stretches far off towards central London, where multiple steel and glass turrets jut up on the horizon. The sun is setting, and an orange glow drapes the city in the shape of a vast segmental dome."
Maybe it is me, but I don't care if the interviewer wore a red or yellow tie, nor do I care where the author sat writing his piece (unless these things are relevant later). If it were a fictional story, that would be helpful for my imagination. Now, it serves no purpose. It also doesn't even fit the tone.
Overall, despite its small flaws, I still recommend it for everyone curious about mental health issues on a broader scale.
Book’s strengths:
1. The book is well-researched from the first to the last page. When the author makes a claim, he adds a source to support it. If the claim is shaky, he explains the mixed findings around it. Honest and beautiful. That’s how you gain your readers’ trust. Some writers expect to be believed just because they publish their claims in a book format—James Davies is not among them.
2. Unusual take on the mental health crisis. While most books focus on individual and societal levels, the author also looks at mental health issues in political and economic scope. It broadened my perspective on mental and societal issues and also partly horrified me to learn how flawed health systems still are and how policies can be implemented for the gain of companies at the cost of people.
3. Entertaining, easy to read, and informative. The book is written in a reader-friendly style for the most part; it is neither dry nor dull. It kept me entertained, too, as it offered a conspiracy-type feeling reading it, especially regarding Big Pharma and their shady ways of selling more antidepressants. The author’s findings seem almost unbelievable. More so, he interviews so many different professionals — I gained a lot of psychological insights for myself and many curious little findings (for example, drivers with expensive cars tend to be less polite on the roads as they internally feel better than others).
Book's shortcomings:
1. Misleading title. Capitalism is not at fault for "creating" mental health crisis. There is never a scapegoat for an issue so complex, which the author also agrees on. Things like harmful policies, greedy politicians, and corruptive values (materialism, greed, selfishness) can exist in every economic system. Sure, capitalism has flaws, especially the free-market neoliberal one the author tackles most. It's "too profit-based", fair enough. But capitalism can take many forms, depending on who navigates it and how. As someone from an ex-Soviet country, I wouldn't want to idealize overthrowing capitalism for "equality" and greater well-being. We already did that once, and we all know how that went.
2. Unnecessary details. I understand that writing a nonfiction book, you want to add some life to it. But that's not it. So many chapters could be removed, and nothing would be lost. For example, he begins describing his interviewee:
"Jack Graham cut a larger-than-life and jovial figure when I met him at his private sports club just outside London… He was wearing a three-piece suit and a bright yellow tie, which proudly ballooned out from the top of his herringbone waistcoat."
Or he begins his new chapter by:
"I sit alone on the top floor of my university library. The view stretches far off towards central London, where multiple steel and glass turrets jut up on the horizon. The sun is setting, and an orange glow drapes the city in the shape of a vast segmental dome."
Maybe it is me, but I don't care if the interviewer wore a red or yellow tie, nor do I care where the author sat writing his piece (unless these things are relevant later). If it were a fictional story, that would be helpful for my imagination. Now, it serves no purpose. It also doesn't even fit the tone.
Overall, despite its small flaws, I still recommend it for everyone curious about mental health issues on a broader scale.
October 24, 2022
I was really excited to get into this one because the subject matter really intrigued me, but I was left feeling a little bit disappointed overall.
Don’t get me wrong, this book was really interesting. It came forward with a lot of facts that shocked me and it was quite eye opening with the discussions and evidence based argument, but it wasn’t overly exciting or engaging. To me it often came across as a bit boring to power through, and being quite a chunky book (in my opinion, too long) this is really not what you want from it. I found the narrative style to be quite detached and bland. Every chapter began with a variation of the same paragraph and it got tiring to read the repetition (not helped by the fact I read the book in two sittings).
While this book does talk about our mental health crisis, it door veer way more to the political than psychological for the most part. If that’s what you’re looking for great, Thatcher will see you now. If not, like me, you might get a little frustrated by the conversation happening. I was interested, but the book seemed to just be going either in circles or nowhere at all. I didn’t really feel like I fully grasped what we were arguing and was never satisfied. It did get a little sidetracked and unfocused at times which lost me.
It was okay. Definitely readable and some great bits in there that you can take from, but I wasn’t overly impressed or in love with it.
Don’t get me wrong, this book was really interesting. It came forward with a lot of facts that shocked me and it was quite eye opening with the discussions and evidence based argument, but it wasn’t overly exciting or engaging. To me it often came across as a bit boring to power through, and being quite a chunky book (in my opinion, too long) this is really not what you want from it. I found the narrative style to be quite detached and bland. Every chapter began with a variation of the same paragraph and it got tiring to read the repetition (not helped by the fact I read the book in two sittings).
While this book does talk about our mental health crisis, it door veer way more to the political than psychological for the most part. If that’s what you’re looking for great, Thatcher will see you now. If not, like me, you might get a little frustrated by the conversation happening. I was interested, but the book seemed to just be going either in circles or nowhere at all. I didn’t really feel like I fully grasped what we were arguing and was never satisfied. It did get a little sidetracked and unfocused at times which lost me.
It was okay. Definitely readable and some great bits in there that you can take from, but I wasn’t overly impressed or in love with it.
September 24, 2022
Pernah nggak, kepikiran kalau di balik kesehatan mental penyebabnya tidak lain & tidak bukan adalah kapitalisma? 👀
James Davies adalah nama yang asing buatku. Judul buku yang menyematkan "capitalism" & "mental health" yg bikin aku terdorong untuk check out dari webnya @periplusid . Tanpa banyak ekspektasi & informasi, aku coba baca saja. Eh nggak taunya menarik.
James Davies sendiri ternyata seorang psikiater berbasis di UK. Sedated adalah buku yang ia susun untuk mengkritisi bagaimana pemerintah UK malah memperparah kondisi mental manusia di sana.
Misalnya saja pada bagian pertama yg diberi tajuk "The New Opium." Menerangkan kalau sejak zaman Margaret Thatcher jadi PM lalu berteman dengan Ronal Reagan (presiden AS ke-40) & cukup dekat dengan Milton Friedman (ekonom), nyatanya memang UK dibuat condong pada paham "free-market." Davies bilang kalau industri farmasi nggak main-main kalau ambil profit. Dengan Thatcher memberi izin lebih leluasa buat mereka, ya tentu ada harga obat-obatan yg gila-gilaan.
Davies kemudian melanjutkan kalau nggak cuma kebijakan Thatcher terhadap industri farmasi UK yg ambil peran terhadap kesehatan mental, tapi bagaimana tekanan pekerjaan yg nggak manusiawi demi keuntungan pemilik modal semata yg bikin manusia jadi mudah stres. Ketika ada serikat pekerja yg memprotes terhadap banyaknya rekan mereka yg sudah tumbang, eh cuma dikasih psikiater & psikolog saja. Pemerintah maupun pemilik modal nggak mau mendengar bagaimana kompensasi dan beban kerja mereka sebenarnya nggak imbang.
Lagi-lagi, ya karena kapitalisme.
Di luar masalah pekerjaan, ada juga gaya hidup yg sengaja dibentuk oleh kapitalisme agar kalau kita stress larinya belanja aja. Alias, melakukan "retail therapy." Kita sendiri pasti ngerasain gempuran iklan di mana-mana. Mendorong kita buat jajan secara impulsif.
Sedated menguak bagaimana kesehatan mental dijadikan bahan oleh pemerintah untuk mengeksploitasi atas nama keuntungan semata. Bacaan bagus untuk memahami andil sistem politik & ekonomi dalam well-being manusia.
James Davies adalah nama yang asing buatku. Judul buku yang menyematkan "capitalism" & "mental health" yg bikin aku terdorong untuk check out dari webnya @periplusid . Tanpa banyak ekspektasi & informasi, aku coba baca saja. Eh nggak taunya menarik.
James Davies sendiri ternyata seorang psikiater berbasis di UK. Sedated adalah buku yang ia susun untuk mengkritisi bagaimana pemerintah UK malah memperparah kondisi mental manusia di sana.
Misalnya saja pada bagian pertama yg diberi tajuk "The New Opium." Menerangkan kalau sejak zaman Margaret Thatcher jadi PM lalu berteman dengan Ronal Reagan (presiden AS ke-40) & cukup dekat dengan Milton Friedman (ekonom), nyatanya memang UK dibuat condong pada paham "free-market." Davies bilang kalau industri farmasi nggak main-main kalau ambil profit. Dengan Thatcher memberi izin lebih leluasa buat mereka, ya tentu ada harga obat-obatan yg gila-gilaan.
Davies kemudian melanjutkan kalau nggak cuma kebijakan Thatcher terhadap industri farmasi UK yg ambil peran terhadap kesehatan mental, tapi bagaimana tekanan pekerjaan yg nggak manusiawi demi keuntungan pemilik modal semata yg bikin manusia jadi mudah stres. Ketika ada serikat pekerja yg memprotes terhadap banyaknya rekan mereka yg sudah tumbang, eh cuma dikasih psikiater & psikolog saja. Pemerintah maupun pemilik modal nggak mau mendengar bagaimana kompensasi dan beban kerja mereka sebenarnya nggak imbang.
Lagi-lagi, ya karena kapitalisme.
Di luar masalah pekerjaan, ada juga gaya hidup yg sengaja dibentuk oleh kapitalisme agar kalau kita stress larinya belanja aja. Alias, melakukan "retail therapy." Kita sendiri pasti ngerasain gempuran iklan di mana-mana. Mendorong kita buat jajan secara impulsif.
Sedated menguak bagaimana kesehatan mental dijadikan bahan oleh pemerintah untuk mengeksploitasi atas nama keuntungan semata. Bacaan bagus untuk memahami andil sistem politik & ekonomi dalam well-being manusia.
May 31, 2022
"The idea that we have infinite power over our lives and fates, while initially seductive and uplifting for some, often leads to acute disappointment when things go wrong. Persuading people they have more power than they do and ignoring the real barriers to attainment primes them for self-blame when reality fails to deliver.
The worst extremes of phoney empowerment...can be found in the trite aphorisms of the self-help industry, where popular psychologists ascribe to us almost magical abilities to alter circumstances despite the harsh realities containing us. In a world where disadvantage, unemployment and work-related distress are so socially embedded, downplaying the very real obstacles to opportunity is regularly experienced as yet another form of punishment, yet another form of blaming and shaming the individual."
As I read this line, I looked up and turned to the right where I have stuck a bunch of 'empowering' quotes on my wall. One is from spirit daughter, a spiritual brand (go figure) and it's about the lessons learnt from Aquarius. Lesson no. 2: change your perspective and your reality changes! Jesus fucking Christ.
This is an incredible book and one of the most important there is to read. t has also depressed me because I've been very much into manifestation and making your own reality. Until I became unemployed and was rejected by every job, cue in my feelings of failure because if I wanted it badly enough then I would have gotten it. Allegedly.
Davies powerfully argues that the rise of mental illness and the rising prescriptions of psychiatric drugs (he particularly focuses on anti-depressants) is due to a model of mental illness where the individual is blamed and pathologised for their rational responses to socially caused distress - aka capitalism and neo-liberalism. What a lot of treatments do is blame the individual, rather than understand the life circumstances that have led to their distress. The book particularly affected me because I dropped out of CBT treatment and felt like a failure and like I hadn't worked hard enough to fix the way I thought, and there is a whole section dedicated to CBT and why it is ineffective and harmful in blaming victims.
I was specially illuminated by the explanation that neo-liberal values blame people for their failure (and praise their success if they 'worked hard enough') and this is where it branched into a general way of thinking that exists nowadays. Unfortunately, it is the same idea that is perpetuated by Western New Age Spirituality, and I fell for it. I'm only now realising how that message is delivered by multiple aspects of society, and it's been depressing me. I'm glad I've read the book, but I also feel like I've been believing in a lie for at least 2 years as I bought stuff from spiritual brands to make myself feel better and 'empowered.'
The worst extremes of phoney empowerment...can be found in the trite aphorisms of the self-help industry, where popular psychologists ascribe to us almost magical abilities to alter circumstances despite the harsh realities containing us. In a world where disadvantage, unemployment and work-related distress are so socially embedded, downplaying the very real obstacles to opportunity is regularly experienced as yet another form of punishment, yet another form of blaming and shaming the individual."
As I read this line, I looked up and turned to the right where I have stuck a bunch of 'empowering' quotes on my wall. One is from spirit daughter, a spiritual brand (go figure) and it's about the lessons learnt from Aquarius. Lesson no. 2: change your perspective and your reality changes! Jesus fucking Christ.
This is an incredible book and one of the most important there is to read. t has also depressed me because I've been very much into manifestation and making your own reality. Until I became unemployed and was rejected by every job, cue in my feelings of failure because if I wanted it badly enough then I would have gotten it. Allegedly.
Davies powerfully argues that the rise of mental illness and the rising prescriptions of psychiatric drugs (he particularly focuses on anti-depressants) is due to a model of mental illness where the individual is blamed and pathologised for their rational responses to socially caused distress - aka capitalism and neo-liberalism. What a lot of treatments do is blame the individual, rather than understand the life circumstances that have led to their distress. The book particularly affected me because I dropped out of CBT treatment and felt like a failure and like I hadn't worked hard enough to fix the way I thought, and there is a whole section dedicated to CBT and why it is ineffective and harmful in blaming victims.
I was specially illuminated by the explanation that neo-liberal values blame people for their failure (and praise their success if they 'worked hard enough') and this is where it branched into a general way of thinking that exists nowadays. Unfortunately, it is the same idea that is perpetuated by Western New Age Spirituality, and I fell for it. I'm only now realising how that message is delivered by multiple aspects of society, and it's been depressing me. I'm glad I've read the book, but I also feel like I've been believing in a lie for at least 2 years as I bought stuff from spiritual brands to make myself feel better and 'empowered.'
August 7, 2023
Bajo mi punto de vista, el principal problema de este libro es su título. Si bien es cierto que la base gira en torno a los problemas actuales de la salud mental y el contexto social y político que los generan, el libro va mucho más allá de eso. Es importante destacar que en todo el libro se hace un análisis muy crítico con el neocapitalismo y el actual sistema económico. No es simplemente un libro sobre salud mental, sino también sobre salud económica, social, política, ética, individualismo, etc... Analiza muchísimos elementos de la vida actual y los enlaza con la problemática mental que tanto ha crecido estos últimos años. Sus análisis son profundos y visionarios. Esa sensación de que las cosas no van bien, de que la economía beneficia a una minoría, de que la vida cada vez es más precaria, de que no importan las personas, sino los beneficios, el crecimiento, la macroenomía, etc... queda perfectamente analizado y argumentado, dando solidez y fundamento a nuestras preocupaciones actuales. Es un libro que merece la pena leer y que aclara gran parte de los motivos que tanta insatisfacción nos causan en esta era del capitalismo extremo. Imprescindible.
October 25, 2024
In this book James Davies, professor of Psychology and previous frontline psychotherapist, asks the question ‘why are 1/4 people in the UK today diagnosed with a mental illness?’
He then very convincingly answers ‘because of Margaret Thatcher’.
He then very convincingly answers ‘because of Margaret Thatcher’.
November 7, 2025
‘The mental illness narrative encourages us to see mental health problems as nothing to do with life and circumstances, so no wonder we don’t look at structural or social causes; and of course this perspective is a great fit with the current neoliberal approach – where individuals have to reform themselves to fit with existing social structures.’
“What we need is a profound rethinking of the nature of suffering itself, and what it is trying to highlight and ask us to change. We need to repoliticise emotional discontent in the minds of teachers, parents and policy-makers, rather than continue reducing it to dysfunctions that allegedly reside within the self. We need to acknowledge that suffering also reflects family/socio/political dynamics we would do well to better acknowledge and address.”
March 8, 2022
Despite me having a few disagreements about some of his statements regarding biopsych, this is overall a stellar and hugely important book. I want to write more on it a bit later. USA folks, don't let the UK focus on some sections turn you away. Overall much of it applies to us as well.
February 9, 2022
Everyone needs to read this right now!!!! It is my bible
September 9, 2024
repetitive and sometimes condescending, certainly guilty of confirmation bias. Nevertheless as I stand I can't help but agree with most everything
April 4, 2022
4'5🌟
"Muchas personas toman antidepresivos por la simple razón de que hay poquísimas alternativas disponibles. Nuestros servicios públicos carecen de alternativas psicosociales, como la terapia, por lo que los fármacos se convierten en la intervención más rápida y barata (aunque menos eficaz) en salud mental".
Tras una investigación concienciduda sobre el estado de la salud mental en Reino Unido, Davies desmenuza con datos y evidencias de dónde viene la actual crisis de salud mental y cómo se está abordando desde los diferentes gobiernos.
La tesis principal de Davies es que el neoliberalismo impulsado por Tatcher en la década de los 80 caló cambiando la cultura y la mentalidad de la población, inculcando ciertos valores que le son funcionales al sistema capitalista, tales como el materialismo o el individualismo, despolitizando y patologizando los problemas de salud mental. Así, el autor apuesta por un origen sociogénico a la actual ola de salud mental, y reivindica la necesidad de poner el foco en las causas estructurales (el sistema) y no sólo coyunturales (la pandemia, la guerra).
Frente a esto, los gobiernos han apostado por una política de desregulación de la industria farmacéutica y un desmantelamiento de los servicios públicos, lo que ha provocado que la única respuesta asequible y asumible por tiempo y costo sea la medicalización, disparándose el consumo de antidepresivos y ansiolíticos a pesar de que se ha demostrado científicamente su ineficacia a medio-largo plazo.
Compartiendo gran parte de sus tesis, creo que a veces peca de hablar desde un plano demasiado teórico y poco material. Es cierto que inevitablemente la superestructura determina nuestros valores, cómo nos sentimos y nuestras expectativas, pero frente a la gran crisis de salud mental que estamos viviendo es necesario poner en marcha medidas que ayuden a prevenir, intervenir y paliar la situación. Trascender el modelo biomédico y apostar por recursos psicosociales desde los servicios públicos (sanidad, educación, servicios sociales...). Es importante hacer análisis macro, pero también poner en marcha medidas tangentes y urgentes.
Con todo, me parece una lectura magnífica, un análisis pulcro, acertado y completo, y un imprescindible si os interesa la temática.
"Muchas personas toman antidepresivos por la simple razón de que hay poquísimas alternativas disponibles. Nuestros servicios públicos carecen de alternativas psicosociales, como la terapia, por lo que los fármacos se convierten en la intervención más rápida y barata (aunque menos eficaz) en salud mental".
Tras una investigación concienciduda sobre el estado de la salud mental en Reino Unido, Davies desmenuza con datos y evidencias de dónde viene la actual crisis de salud mental y cómo se está abordando desde los diferentes gobiernos.
La tesis principal de Davies es que el neoliberalismo impulsado por Tatcher en la década de los 80 caló cambiando la cultura y la mentalidad de la población, inculcando ciertos valores que le son funcionales al sistema capitalista, tales como el materialismo o el individualismo, despolitizando y patologizando los problemas de salud mental. Así, el autor apuesta por un origen sociogénico a la actual ola de salud mental, y reivindica la necesidad de poner el foco en las causas estructurales (el sistema) y no sólo coyunturales (la pandemia, la guerra).
Frente a esto, los gobiernos han apostado por una política de desregulación de la industria farmacéutica y un desmantelamiento de los servicios públicos, lo que ha provocado que la única respuesta asequible y asumible por tiempo y costo sea la medicalización, disparándose el consumo de antidepresivos y ansiolíticos a pesar de que se ha demostrado científicamente su ineficacia a medio-largo plazo.
Compartiendo gran parte de sus tesis, creo que a veces peca de hablar desde un plano demasiado teórico y poco material. Es cierto que inevitablemente la superestructura determina nuestros valores, cómo nos sentimos y nuestras expectativas, pero frente a la gran crisis de salud mental que estamos viviendo es necesario poner en marcha medidas que ayuden a prevenir, intervenir y paliar la situación. Trascender el modelo biomédico y apostar por recursos psicosociales desde los servicios públicos (sanidad, educación, servicios sociales...). Es importante hacer análisis macro, pero también poner en marcha medidas tangentes y urgentes.
Con todo, me parece una lectura magnífica, un análisis pulcro, acertado y completo, y un imprescindible si os interesa la temática.
May 15, 2025
Where do we go from here?
In Sedated, James Davies takes us on a journey through the landscape of modern mental health, exposing how capitalism, Big Pharma, and the dominant medical model have contributed to the rise in psychological distress. Drawing from an abundance of meta analyses and insight, Davies critiques the over-medicalisation of mental health and champions the psychosocial model as a more humane and holistic framework.
While his arguments aren't necessarily ground-breaking, many critics have pointed to the social roots of mental illness before, they are nonetheless insightful and timely. Davies forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about a system that often prioritises profit over people, and how this impacts both diagnosis and treatment.
We cannot separate mental wellbeing from the socio-economic conditions people live under, but neither should we disregard biology or individual psychology and it seems Davies isn't completely keen on this idea (which each to their own), but it is important that we consider a psychobiosocial model rather than this sense of competition over which model is better. as Davies provocatively asks:
Where do we go from here? The answer isn't simple, but it's clear that real progress requires a systemic shift.
Overall, Sedated is a thought-provoking read. If nothing else, it leaves you with one unmistakable takeaway: Margaret Thatcher really did a number on us.
In Sedated, James Davies takes us on a journey through the landscape of modern mental health, exposing how capitalism, Big Pharma, and the dominant medical model have contributed to the rise in psychological distress. Drawing from an abundance of meta analyses and insight, Davies critiques the over-medicalisation of mental health and champions the psychosocial model as a more humane and holistic framework.
While his arguments aren't necessarily ground-breaking, many critics have pointed to the social roots of mental illness before, they are nonetheless insightful and timely. Davies forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about a system that often prioritises profit over people, and how this impacts both diagnosis and treatment.
We cannot separate mental wellbeing from the socio-economic conditions people live under, but neither should we disregard biology or individual psychology and it seems Davies isn't completely keen on this idea (which each to their own), but it is important that we consider a psychobiosocial model rather than this sense of competition over which model is better. as Davies provocatively asks:
Where do we go from here? The answer isn't simple, but it's clear that real progress requires a systemic shift.
Overall, Sedated is a thought-provoking read. If nothing else, it leaves you with one unmistakable takeaway: Margaret Thatcher really did a number on us.
August 5, 2022
Felt a bit like conspiracy theory, too much shouting and uncovering the “ugly truth”. Obviously helpful to understand the context of UK politics and the really stakeholders behind the “market hand”. Also an fresh take on how attention to mental health (obviously a good thing) is overused to deflect the focus from social and political injustices that are often the real cause of mental distress, not the chemistry of one’s brain.
October 17, 2023
4.75 ⭐️
“The preferred emotional state for late capitalism is a state of perpetual “functional dissatisfaction”; functional to the extent that you will continue to work, and dissatisfied to the extent that you will continue to spend.”
Excluding the pushed notion that mental health is on a rise as many people are *presumably* over diagnosed (book mentioned that giant corporations benefit from increase in pharmaceutical drugs sales), I agree with everything else. This book is my roman empire.
“The preferred emotional state for late capitalism is a state of perpetual “functional dissatisfaction”; functional to the extent that you will continue to work, and dissatisfied to the extent that you will continue to spend.”
Excluding the pushed notion that mental health is on a rise as many people are *presumably* over diagnosed (book mentioned that giant corporations benefit from increase in pharmaceutical drugs sales), I agree with everything else. This book is my roman empire.
August 27, 2022
really really enjoyed his points about the unnecessary overmedicalisation of mental illnesses in late capitalism, and i agree that focussing on improving policies, community and environment is vital, however i found the book a bit repetitive and long.
I think if it was half the length it would be more powerful
I think if it was half the length it would be more powerful
June 13, 2024
What I most enjoyed about this book is the review I read by an enraged right wing commentator who thought that James Davies was suggesting that the mental health system was a neoliberal puppet master and thought he'd had a real gotcha moment in pointing out that mental health services are the unintentional (though non-resistant) product of the neoliberalism, rather than its architect... Which is, essentially, his main argument.
I think that it's a good read for anyone who doesn't already feel well informed on the topic and wants to understand a bit more about how pharmaceuticals, diagnosis, mental health services, etc., are engaged in a process of manufacturing and perpetuating distress as a result of neoliberal campaigns of deregulation and privatisation. Easy read.
I think that it's a good read for anyone who doesn't already feel well informed on the topic and wants to understand a bit more about how pharmaceuticals, diagnosis, mental health services, etc., are engaged in a process of manufacturing and perpetuating distress as a result of neoliberal campaigns of deregulation and privatisation. Easy read.
March 20, 2024
It only took me *checks notes* … 2 years to finish. Thanks adhd x
This is absolutely sublime though and a necessary read for anyone and everyone. The amount of meticulous research and care and thought that has gone into this piece of work ! Amazing. Also incredibly easy to read despite being very academic. A persuasive and articulate call to change
This is absolutely sublime though and a necessary read for anyone and everyone. The amount of meticulous research and care and thought that has gone into this piece of work ! Amazing. Also incredibly easy to read despite being very academic. A persuasive and articulate call to change
Read
July 28, 2025I did like the sociopolitical perspective but I didn’t love the writing. Further, there were pretty liberal interpretations of data and the thread of the narrative was hard to follow for me in lots of ways.
May 14, 2022
Un ensayo brillante que recoge e identifica las semillas de la actual "epidemia" de salud mental que padecemos. El autor hace uso extensivo de evidencia empírica para relacionar modelo biomédico, individualismo extremo e intereses económicos a la vez que pone datos para aburrir sobre por qué el abordaje farmacológico ni sirve ni tiene justificación y encima se fomenta. Creo que toda persona interesada en los verdaderos determinantes del sufrimiento de esta época debería leerlo.
January 23, 2024
Capitalism really does have its pesky little fingers in every pie doesn't it?
An illuminating read that explores in great detail the history behind the systems that prioritises 'productivity' over all else that has led to our rapidly declining mental health.
An illuminating read that explores in great detail the history behind the systems that prioritises 'productivity' over all else that has led to our rapidly declining mental health.
June 24, 2025
Is it depression or late-stage capitalism?
July 30, 2022
This book blew my mind. It articulated and answered so many of the questions that have been swirling around in the brain about mental health for years.
I have been on antidepressants continually for the last 5 years, and I do find that they help me - whether that’s a placebo effect or not, I don’t know, but I’m fairly sure that they help. That said, it does worry me how easy it is to get these drugs. When I first started taking them I had a 10 minute appointment with a doctor that didn’t know me, and I left with a prescription for fluoxetine. The appointment wasn’t long enough to go into the upheaval and trauma I’d recently experienced in my life, and I was automatically given drugs to ‘alleviate my symptoms’.
Alongside antidepressants, I have done a lot of self-reflection and work to understand my situation and how I react and deal with things, to me that’s the bit that has helped more than the drugs. A few years ago I was signed off work and just as this book details, the push wasn’t to get me well again, it was to get me back to work. It’s a horrible way to think about human value, but this book details brilliantly how we have got to this point as a society.
I wish more people would read this, perhaps it would improve the humanity (or lack of) that we’ve seen in the world lately.
I have been on antidepressants continually for the last 5 years, and I do find that they help me - whether that’s a placebo effect or not, I don’t know, but I’m fairly sure that they help. That said, it does worry me how easy it is to get these drugs. When I first started taking them I had a 10 minute appointment with a doctor that didn’t know me, and I left with a prescription for fluoxetine. The appointment wasn’t long enough to go into the upheaval and trauma I’d recently experienced in my life, and I was automatically given drugs to ‘alleviate my symptoms’.
Alongside antidepressants, I have done a lot of self-reflection and work to understand my situation and how I react and deal with things, to me that’s the bit that has helped more than the drugs. A few years ago I was signed off work and just as this book details, the push wasn’t to get me well again, it was to get me back to work. It’s a horrible way to think about human value, but this book details brilliantly how we have got to this point as a society.
I wish more people would read this, perhaps it would improve the humanity (or lack of) that we’ve seen in the world lately.
July 16, 2022
Required reading, if only so everyone can stop being gaslit into believing their mental health issues are due to personal failings or genetic abnormalities instead of being a realistic and genuine response to the incredibly difficult times we live in. Absolutely terrifying to think about how easy it’s become to just put people on medication whenever their life becomes difficult instead of, as a community, trying to help one another build better lives and change our circumstances. Davies is absolutely right to posit that the mental health crisis will not improve unless our way of life and environment improves first. Also I hope everyone who profits off ineffective psychiatric medication burns in hell xx
December 24, 2023
" 'We must build a society based on the principles of social justice; reduce inequalities of income and wealth; and build a well-being economy that puts achievement of health and well-being, rather than narrow economic goals, at the heart of government strategy.' "
Fantastic book that anyone going into a health-based field should read.
Fantastic book that anyone going into a health-based field should read.
Read
March 16, 2022Someone genuinely wrote three biographies about Margret Thatcher? What a simp!
July 20, 2025
An interesting new view on the state of mental health in the world currently. Reminded me of some Jonathon Hari books, which I think I preferred but this was still a very good and wide view of the state of mental health care.
As always it was very unsurprising to see Thatcher mentioned in the context of answering the question “why is everything so shit now?”.
As always it was very unsurprising to see Thatcher mentioned in the context of answering the question “why is everything so shit now?”.
October 11, 2025
Thanks Mr Swann for the book.
June 28, 2022
A must!
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