Rating: 
Summary: What the book does, it doesn't do well, IMHO
Review: I think it's important for a potential buyer to understand what this book is and what it is not, because the title and marketing have been somewhat deceptive (and Ms. Wurtzel is certainly NOT to blame for that).The book is NOT
1. An analysis of the use and impact of Prozac on the "nation" as a whole.
2. A thoughtful, carefully detailed analysis of one person's experience with Prozac. The book IS a memoir, as part of the title indicates. And as such, IMHO, it's horrible. Ms. Wurtzel's writing is cliched, derivative, and uninspired. If this book represents a reader's first encounter with stream-of-consciousness writing (and I'm demeaning the term somewhat by using it for this book), then I can understand why that reader might find the style exciting and revelatory. That's cool--I can only tell you that there are a great many other SOC writers out there with much more depth, intensity, and intelligence than Ms. Wurtzel. I believe that the fact that Ms. Wurtzel is extremely physically attractive by conventional standards has led many reviewers to be kinder to this book than they might otherwise be. A careful reading of some of the reviews for this book bears this thought out. I do not think that this book would have achieved the success and acclaim that it has were its author overweight and less attractive by conventional standards. The potential buyer should keep this fact in mind as, after all, he/she will be looking at black-and-white letters, not living-color flesh. I can imagine that some people in their mid-teens may relate to Ms. Wurtzel's opinions. That's the only recommendation that I can give this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bitter Pill to Swallow from a Depressed Drama Queen
Review: For those of you who have suffered from depression, this book will offer nothing. You know how you feel, or more aptly, how you don't feel. This book is no revelation. However, if you have not suffered from the illness and you wish to gain some insight, this book may provide you with some clues. Honestly, though, Wurtzel's story/condition is unique only because A. she is a wealthy depressive (at least in the sense that someone is providing her with funds for countless hours of therapy), and B. she is a talented writer by trade who does not have to navigate through the daily 9-5 blahs like most of her readers. For the majority of us, our tales of depression are much more horrific. We have lives and responsibilites, bosses to answer to, bills to pay; Wurtzel's main priorities in life are meeting deadlines and coping with hangovers (Hey Lizzie, wanna trade?). Wurtzel is a talented writer and any book that brings mental health one step closer into the mainstream is a plus, but God, after listening to her whine over and over again I felt like I was the therapist. Where do I send the bill?
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm....
Review: I suffer from very serious depression. I have been in and out of hospitals more times than I can count over the past 7 years, made multiple suicide attempts, have cut up my body so badly that transfusions were needed, taken numerous overdoses, and have been turned on by family and friends many times. I also am a graduate of an Ivy League school, and I have lived in several large cities around the U.S. My sister also suffers from depression which was diagnosed at a younger age than I was diagnosed -- she was hospitalized for the first time at age 8 and has been essentially unresponsive to meds and ECT. I have known many people who suffer from mental illness of varying types and degrees -- through my own experience with depression, some friends, and research that I have directed. So, I feel that I am qualified to say that I find this book very annoying and the author to be incredibly whiny and self-absorbed. This is not a pure criticism, as I know that I acted similarly at times, like most people with depression do. At times, we whine and think only of ourselves because we feel so miserable and, for some, because we want help so badly. This makes sense because this is a wretched and, without finding appropriate meds and/or therapy, sadly intractable. Yet I believe that the author went to incredible extremes with these characteristics, as well as with her self-sabotaging, melodrama, and tendency to malinger. I have never known or heard of anyone going to such lengths to avoid getting better, and I really do not consider her any sort of example of what the typical person with severe depression suffers with day to day. Her tendencies seem much more similar to those of some sort of personality disorder (perhaps borderline) or of a bipolar II or bipolar spectrum disorder (in which case the usual anti-depressants, such as SSRIs, might only worsen her symptoms). I read this book during one of my worst periods of depression, and it was a huge turn off. Perhaps it was the way that it was written, but I had no empathy towards the author and her failed "attempts" to overcome her struggles. I have a very hard time thinking that anyone would want to read this book for comfort, englightenment about depression, or hope -- in contrast, I can only imagine recommending it to someone who wants to linger in their miserable state, as did Wurtzel. I found Prozac Diary (by Lauren Slater) to be much more interesting, insightful, comforting, and hopeful. And I recommend that book because there is hope out there. After many long years, I found a medication that worked and told myself that I needed to get myself back together. I did, and it is still working -- I have come further than I ever expected. Good luck to you all.
Rating: 
Summary: Be cautious
Review: As a psychotherapist and someone who has experienced depression I would just like to advise anyone who is experiencing depression to tread carefully where this book is concerned. It could be particulary negative to anyone who is depressed and unaware of what they suffering or for those who have not yet
sought professional advice but are considering it. There is a time and a place to read such a book and some might benefit from it at the right time. However, when energy is low, when each and every day and every task is a battle - leave it for another time.
Rating: 
Summary: Hope running dry...
Review: I think that this book can only be fairly reviewed and rated by people who have suffered from depression, Elizabeth Wurtzel summed up perfectly what depression is and becomes. After enforcing certain parts of the book on my ever reluctant family I finally got some acknowledgement for the way I was behaving and feeling. It's good to know that there's someone else.
This book has been written by a truely talented author, in that she actually managed to put depression into words.
It's unfortunate to find out that she still suffers from this "syndrome", which takes the edge off the hope I had when I started reading it. It is still one of the best books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Pills versus talk
Review: Among the best of the many autobiographical accounts of depression. It's a useful counter-balance to accounts that ignore or denigrate chemical treatments. (For example I recently read Dudman's "Augusta Gone" which gave a heart-rending account of a suicidal teenager with no mention of anti-depressants). The afterword and epilogue are a fair but incomplete summary of the status of medication in treating depression, and the legitimacy of "depression" as a medical diagnosis.
It's well written, although somewhat repetitious. I think it's too long and complex to be a self-help book for someone in the throes of severe depression. I think it would be useful for a family member or friend, or for someone already being helped by medication. It's not a complete case history. We are left uncertain as to how continuous the illness was, the role of illicit drug-taking, what her father's psychiatric condition was, and whether any anti-depressants (such as desipramine or trazodone which she later took) were used before Prozac. The author makes her own diagnosis, which I wouldn't want to comment on.
Rating:
Summary: Gifted Writer with a Severe Case of Pathological Narcissism
Review: Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation takes the prize for the number of times the pronoun "I" is used per page, no I mean per paragraph, or rather, per sentence. Clearly the irritation her narcissism evoked from her readership prompted her to add an afterward in 1995 in which she admits to being "... self-centered, self-involved, and above all , self-indulgent". She then rationalizes her excesses of self-abortion by stating "As I found myself saying to not a few people who would tell me they found the book angering and annoying to read: Good. Very good: That means I did what I set out to do. That means you'd felt a frustration and fury reading the book that might be be akin to the sense of futility experienced by most people who try to deal in real life with an actual depressive." Please. Having dealt with family members in the grips of severe depression, the selfishness we are confronted with in this book is beyond anything I've witnessed. Sad - in the loathing you feel for the writer, the talent of her writing is lost.
Rating:
Summary: EW is so unimpressive...
Review: OK, so what's her deal? Why does she think she's SO different (special) from either other depressives, other New Yorkers, other women in general, other Ivy League graduates, etc.? What has she really written about that has any solid, concrete information? Prozac Nation has already been written in the diaries of like 3 billion other young women in America, but you don't see them publishing their diaries and glorifying their pathologies. She SO did not "expose depression as an epidemic in our country." She merely published her diary and attempted to create an illusion of authority and superiority and heroism. The book should really be a case history not for depression, but for narcissistic and histrionic personality disorders. Get over yourself already!
Rating:
Summary: If only I could give more than five stars....
Review: This book is amazing. That is all that I can say about it. The way Elizabeth is able to put into works what she is feeling is beautiful. She is an exceptionally bright woman with a hard road behind her, as well as a hard road in front of her. I think it would mean the most to those who are depressed, or know someone going through depression. I highly recommend that a recovering depressive read this book. I do not recommend those who are currently severly depressed read it because it is in no way uplifting. It is an amazing book, written by an amazing person.
Rating:
Summary: Desde México.
Review: Yo soy mexicano y vivo en la Cd. de México. Lei este libro y lo recomiendo ampliamente. Wurtzel se desenvuelve en un lenguaje fácil de leer pero muy rico, describiendo la que ha sido su pesadilla de toda la vida: la depresión, la cual constituye al mismo tiempo, una contradicción (lean el libro). Me encantaría tener la oportunidad de conocerla. Por cierto, hablo inglés mejor que ustedes, pero... no es mi lengua materna (sorry).
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