As I have mentioned, in Germany St John’s Wort vastly outsells Prozac, which is the number-one selling prescription drug in the US. In recent years German doctors have written about seven prescriptions for St John’s Wort for every Prozac prescription – and this does not take into account the millions of St John’s Wort tablets [...]

Nigel, aged forty-nine, started taking Librium twelve years ago when professional worries were making him anxious. Two years ago before surgery for a hernia, he decided to stop taking the pills. The surgery was straightforward, but his recovery was very slow. By the time he left hospital, he was suffering from severe insomnia, palpitations, anxiety [...]

Accepting and sharing problems with other people has always been good therapy. It is essential to be in a relaxed setting where you can grieve, have a panic attack, or make frequent trips to the lavatory without embarrassment. By expressing exactly what you feel, you give others permission to do the same.

There are often amusing [...]

We are what we eat—during World War II people were physically healthier when sugar and fats were in short supply. It may be that sugar is an even worse offender than fat. The Eskimos who lived on large quantities of animal fat did not suffer coronary artery disease until they introduced sugar into their diet. [...]

De-Realization

This means not feeling in touch with reality, and feeling

Depersonalization

This can happen when anxiety levels are high. People who have never had drugs can also suffer this. Perhaps this is the main symptom that induces feelings of going mad. People feel they are not real, not in touch with themselves, and worry that their mental [...]