Does Prozac stifle creativity?

Would Abraham Lincoln be remembered as one of America's greatest presidents without melancholy dogging his footsteps? Would Winston Churchill have been the stalwart defender of Great Britain without the effects of his "Black Dog" depression? Would a revolutionary antidepressant drug such as Prozac have rendered them content, hardworking men instead of great, determined leaders--or would it have heightened their abilities?

Jorg Pahl, director of the Mood Disorders Program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, believes that Prozac would have served these great leaders well, and that people who take the drug today shouldn't exaggerate its effects on their personalities, but instead should revel in its healing powers. "When you consider the costs per year of depression, in lives and money, Prozac is the far better alternative to going without treatment. Unlike many of its predecessors, it has fewer side effects, and many patients experience no side effects."

He maintains that the drug, which went on the market in 1987, has revolutionized psychiatry and saved thousands of lives. Prozac regulates the amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. It is thought by scientists that low serotonin in the brain can cause depression. The normalization of serotonin levels in the brain restores the mood back to well-being. Confidence, vitality, and over--all...