Christina Ricci imparts humanity to the often-annoying behavior of Elizabeth Wurtzel, a Harvard scholarship writer with an overbearing mother (played sublimely by Jessica Lange). Once on campus, Elizabeth indulges in the oft-depicted campus decadence: drugs, alcohol and sex (ala Bret Easton Ellis' "The Rules of Attraction," but without the edgy humor). This scenario would not be so unusual, however, soon she is unable to write, having bouts of obsessive and destructive behavior, becoming disconnected from her life.
It would be easy to confuse the meandering, irrational, emotional mess of this character with a badly made film; however, it is actually illustrating how the world appears through the eyes of depression. While often distinctly aware of the pain she is causing others, she has no control. Her mother insists that she see a psychiatrist, who promptly prescribes pills that only worsen her condition and make her more out of control. As is often the case when seeking medical advice, absolutely no mention is made of the possibility of a nutritional deficiency or other health issue. It is automatically assumed by the practitioner that she needs to be taking anti-depressants. Despite Elizabeth's complaints that the pills are making her worse, the psychiatrist continues to prescribe them, again, offering no other alternatives (other than "Do you want to stop taking the pills?" Whereupon, Elizabeth promptly makes a suicide attempt right there in the doctor's own bathroom).
This film demonstrates how prevalent and disturbing anti-depressant drug abuse is in this country; an estimated 10% of the population is suffering from varying degrees of depression.
The World Health Organization predicts that depression will become the planet's second biggest health problem after heart disease by 2020, often undetected, wrongly diagnosed or badly treated. This film is certainly the most honest discussion of the far-too liberal way that medication is doled out to people suffering from depression. Perhaps, with the advent of this film, we can look forward to an even more complete dissertation of the true affects of anti-depressants (like the recent suicides of teenagers while taking them, some, almost immediately thereafter) which confirms the tragic conspiracy of the psychopharmacology abuse so prevalent in this country.
It would be easy to confuse the meandering, irrational, emotional mess of this character with a badly made film; however, it is actually illustrating how the world appears through the eyes of depression. While often distinctly aware of the pain she is causing others, she has no control. Her mother insists that she see a psychiatrist, who promptly prescribes pills that only worsen her condition and make her more out of control. As is often the case when seeking medical advice, absolutely no mention is made of the possibility of a nutritional deficiency or other health issue. It is automatically assumed by the practitioner that she needs to be taking anti-depressants. Despite Elizabeth's complaints that the pills are making her worse, the psychiatrist continues to prescribe them, again, offering no other alternatives (other than "Do you want to stop taking the pills?" Whereupon, Elizabeth promptly makes a suicide attempt right there in the doctor's own bathroom).
This film demonstrates how prevalent and disturbing anti-depressant drug abuse is in this country; an estimated 10% of the population is suffering from varying degrees of depression.
The World Health Organization predicts that depression will become the planet's second biggest health problem after heart disease by 2020, often undetected, wrongly diagnosed or badly treated. This film is certainly the most honest discussion of the far-too liberal way that medication is doled out to people suffering from depression. Perhaps, with the advent of this film, we can look forward to an even more complete dissertation of the true affects of anti-depressants (like the recent suicides of teenagers while taking them, some, almost immediately thereafter) which confirms the tragic conspiracy of the psychopharmacology abuse so prevalent in this country.