Peter D. Kramer
Encyclopedia
Peter D. Kramer, M.D.
, is an American
psychiatrist
, former Marshall Scholar and faculty member of Brown Medical School
specializing in the area of depression
. He considers depression to be a serious illness with tangible physiological effects such as disorganizing the brain and disrupting the functioning of the cardiovascular system. He criticizes society for romanticizing depression in the same way that tuberculosis
was once romanticized; these romantic notions involve claims of artistic sensitivity or of genius
arising from depression.
Kramer's most notable book is Listening to Prozac (1993). This work was grounded in the observation that, treated with antidepressants, some patients reported feeling "better than well." This result led Kramer to consider the feasibility of "cosmetic psychopharmacology
," the use of medication in healthy people to induce personality traits that are desired or socially rewarded. In the book, Kramer considers the consequences for medical ethics and critiques the tendency of the culture to reward particular personality style
s, namely those characterized by energy and assertiveness. The book is commonly but mistakenly believed to argue for the use of the medication.
From 2005 through 2006, Kramer served as principal host of the public radio program The Infinite Mind
. He reviews books frequently (Slate, Washington Post, New York Times Book Review) and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
• "The Name of the Helper" Prick of the Spindle (2010) http://www.prickofthespindle.com/fiction/4.4/kramer/helper.htm
• "Permutations" Summerset Review (2011) http://www.summersetreview.org/11fall/permutations.html
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, former Marshall Scholar and faculty member of Brown Medical School
Brown Medical School
The Warren Alpert Medical School is the medical school of Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. First established in 1811, the school was suspended after sixteen years of operation by university President Francis Wayland. The medical school was reinstated in 1975...
specializing in the area of depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. He considers depression to be a serious illness with tangible physiological effects such as disorganizing the brain and disrupting the functioning of the cardiovascular system. He criticizes society for romanticizing depression in the same way that tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
was once romanticized; these romantic notions involve claims of artistic sensitivity or of genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
arising from depression.
Kramer's most notable book is Listening to Prozac (1993). This work was grounded in the observation that, treated with antidepressants, some patients reported feeling "better than well." This result led Kramer to consider the feasibility of "cosmetic psychopharmacology
Cosmetic pharmacology
Cosmetic psychopharmacology, a term coined in 1990 by the psychiatrist Peter D. Kramer and popularized in his 1993 book Listening to Prozac, refers to the use of drugs to move persons from a normal psychological state to another normal state that is more desired or better socially rewarded — e.g.,...
," the use of medication in healthy people to induce personality traits that are desired or socially rewarded. In the book, Kramer considers the consequences for medical ethics and critiques the tendency of the culture to reward particular personality style
Personality style
Personality style has been defined as "an individual's relatively consistent inclinations and preferences across contexts."Personality can be defined as a dynamic and organized set of personal traits and patterns of behavior...
s, namely those characterized by energy and assertiveness. The book is commonly but mistakenly believed to argue for the use of the medication.
From 2005 through 2006, Kramer served as principal host of the public radio program The Infinite Mind
The Infinite Mind
-The Infinite Mind public radio series:The Infinite Mind was a one-hour, national, weekly public radio series that aired from 1998 to 2008. It was independently produced and distributed by the Peabody Award-winning Lichtenstein Creative Media. The program was hosted by Dr...
. He reviews books frequently (Slate, Washington Post, New York Times Book Review) and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
Books
- Freud: Inventor of the Modern Mind (2006)
- Against Depression (2005)
- Spectacular Happiness : A Novel (2001)
- Should You Leave? : A Psychiatrist Explores Intimacy and Autonomy—and the Nature of Advice (1997)
- Listening to Prozac (1993)
- Moments of Engagement: Intimate Psychotherapy in a Technological Age (1989)
Book introductions
- The Art of Loving, by Erich FrommErich FrommErich Seligmann Fromm was a Jewish German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with what became known as the Frankfurt School of critical theory.-Life:Erich Fromm was born on March 23, 1900, at Frankfurt am...
- On Becoming a Person, by Carl RogersCarl RogersCarl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
- Better Than Well, by Carl ElliottCarl Elliott (philosopher)Carl Elliott is Professor in the Center for Bioethics and the Departments of Pediatrics and Philosophy at The University of Minnesota. A native South Carolinian, Elliott was educated at Davidson College in North Carolina and at Glasgow University in Scotland, where he received his PhD in...
- The Therapist is the Therapy by LB Fierman
Articles
- In Defense of Antidepressants, New York Times (2011)
- The Valorization of Sadness (from The Hastings Center Report) (2000)
Short Fiction
- "After Alice Left" TriQuarterly #135/136 (2010)
• "The Name of the Helper" Prick of the Spindle (2010) http://www.prickofthespindle.com/fiction/4.4/kramer/helper.htm
• "Permutations" Summerset Review (2011) http://www.summersetreview.org/11fall/permutations.html