Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-271) and index.

The disease-centred model of drug action in psychiatry -- An alternative drug-centred model of drug action -- Physical treatments and the disease-centred model -- The arrival of the new drugs and the influence of interest groups -- The birth of the idea of an 'antipsychotic' -- Are neuroleptics effective and specific? a review of the evidence -- What do neuroleptics really do? a drug-centred account -- The construction of the 'antidepressant' -- Is there such a thing as an 'antidepressant'? a review of the evidence -- What do antidepressants really do? -- The idea of special drugs for manic depression (bipolar disorder) -- Evidence on the action of lithium and 'mood stabilisers' -- Democratic drug treatment: implications of the drug-centred model -- The myth of the chemical cure.