Health
How Big Pharma Turned Women’s Strength Into Sickness: A Deep Dive Into The Pathologization Of Female Emotion
Women’s emotional sensitivity, which has been crucial for the survival of the human species, has been transformed into something to be medicated rather than understood.
By Eva Fleischman5 min read
Antidepressant use has nearly doubled among women in the United States since the turn of the century. In 2018, 18.6% of adult women were taking antidepressants, compared to 10% in 1999. But is this rise due to increasing depression, or is it the result of a carefully crafted campaign that sold the promise of a miracle pill? In reality, Big Pharma has made billions by turning women’s emotional reactions into a disease that needs treatment, insisting that antidepressants are the go-to, quick-fix solution.