百忧解带来的未解之忧.docxVIP

百忧解带来的未解之忧 When it came to pharmacological solutions to lifesdespairs, Aldous Huxley was ahead of the curv e. InHuxleys 1932 novel about a dystopian future, theAlphas, Betas and others populating his Br ave NewWorld have at their disposal a drug called soma. Alittle bit of it chases the blues away: A gramme —Huxley was English, remember, spelling included — is better than a damn. With a swallow, negativefeelings are dispelled. 说到以药物手段来医治生活中的绝望，奥尔德斯·赫胥黎(Aldous Huxley)可谓走在了时代的前面。在赫胥黎 1932 年的小说《美丽新世界》(Brave New World)中，生活在那个反乌托邦未来世界中的阿尔法、贝塔和其他种姓的人类手头常备一种名叫“苏麻”的万能灵药，只要一点 点就可以驱散生活中的阴霾。“服药胜过受煎熬。”只要吞下药丸，负面情绪也随之烟消云散。Prozac, the subject of this weeks video documentary from Retro Report, is hardly soma. Butits gu iding spirit is not dissimilar: A few milligrams of this drug are preferable to the manydamns that li e at the core of some peoples lives. Looking back at Prozacs introduction by EliLilly and Compan y in 1988, and hopscotching to today, the documentary explores theenormous influence, both che mical and cultural, that Prozac and its brethren have had intreating depression, a concern that gain ed new resonance with the recent suicide of thecomedian Robin Williams. 本周（指 9 月 22 日那周）的Retro Report（以重新审视历史上的重大事件为主题的系列纪录片）的主题百忧解(Prozac)和“苏麻”当然不是一码事，但其宗旨却并无不同：对某些人而言，服用几毫克这种药物总比应付生活中的大堆烦恼合算多了。继回顾了1988 年美国礼来制药(Eli Lilly and Company)推出百忧解的经过之后，这部纪录片又将视角转回当下，从化学和文化的双重角度探讨了百忧解及其同类产品在抑郁症的治疗领域造成的巨大影响。由于喜剧演员罗宾·威廉姆斯(Robin Williams)不久前自杀，抑郁症又成为当今人们关注的热点。 In the late 1980s and the 90s, Prozac was widely viewed as a miracle pill, a life preserverthrown to those who felt themselves drowning in the high waters of mental anguish. It wasthe star in a class of new pharmaceuticals known as S.S.R.I.s — selective serotonin reuptakeinhibitors. Underlying t heir use is a belief that depression is caused by a shortage of theneurotransmitter serotonin. Pump up the levels of this brain chemical and, voilà, the mood lifts.Indeed, millions have embraced Proz ac, and swear by it. Depression left them em