Letters: Oct. 20, 1997

THE MOOD MOLECULE

"We don't need 'cleaner' drugs to help us manipulate the brain better. We need to understand how it is disturbed in the first place." GORDON WILLIAMS, M.D. Florencecourt, Northern Ireland

Much of the art of medicine lies in balancing the risks and benefits of every drug administered [MEDICINE, Sept. 29]. When this balance is disturbed by long-term use of drugs that are intended for short-term therapy or needless administration of drugs for self-limiting conditions, we will continue to have unnecessary tragedies. As drugs become more potent, the potential for these disasters increases. We are a drug-oriented, quick-fix society,...

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