Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Elizabeth Wurtzel
- ISBN：0544960092
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Summary
Elizabeth Wurtzel writes with her finger in the faint pulse of an over-diagnosed generation whose ruling icons are Kurt Cobain， Xanax， and pierced tongues。 In this famous memoir of her bouts with depression and skirmishes with drugs， Prozac Nation is a witty and sharp account of the psychopharmacology of an era for readers of Girl， Interrupted and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar。
Reviews
Anissa
，
Love
Lisa Pastor
，
The first book that got me into reading。
Tonia
，
this struck a cord with me。 While at times it is quite repetitive （which makes absolute sense in the context of the book and cannot be brought up as criticism， I think）， there were quite a few interesting points Wurtzel makes， which I could relate to。 I think this book is brutally honest and lets you have a look into the mind of a seriously depressed person， in a world where they at first were not taken seriously and therefore not properly treated， and then in a world where all people would talk this struck a cord with me。 While at times it is quite repetitive （which makes absolute sense in the context of the book and cannot be brought up as criticism， I think）， there were quite a few interesting points Wurtzel makes， which I could relate to。 I think this book is brutally honest and lets you have a look into the mind of a seriously depressed person， in a world where they at first were not taken seriously and therefore not properly treated， and then in a world where all people would talk about was depression and couldn’t stop treating it。 It was a tough read， but still very enjoyable， although that sounds strange to say about a book dealing almost exclusively with depression。 Wurtzel has a strong voice that is able to carry the novel and blends an inexhaustible topic with almost amusing， catchy prose。 I am very much thankful for this reading experience and carrying this book in my tote bag， head and in my heart for a week， even reading it aloud to a friend， sharing the experience。 。。。more
Ania
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 it took me a month to get through this。。。 can you imagine that。 but of course that's no match compared to how long elizabeth wurtzel dealt with mental illness。 how exhausting it was。。。 how far it went beyond exhaustion。。。 her accounts were so sharply narrated it left no room for incomprehension。 except maybe during her episodes （specifically that part when she was so convinced that if she went to england somehow she would find peace， she impulsively arranged her schedules and documents， only to it took me a month to get through this。。。 can you imagine that。 but of course that's no match compared to how long elizabeth wurtzel dealt with mental illness。 how exhausting it was。。。 how far it went beyond exhaustion。。。 her accounts were so sharply narrated it left no room for incomprehension。 except maybe during her episodes （specifically that part when she was so convinced that if she went to england somehow she would find peace， she impulsively arranged her schedules and documents， only to realize she was bringing herself to ruin） where she becomes completely irrational and so out of it。 but even those moments and her self absorption were made sense of by her writing being certifiably self aware （or maybe im just saying this because in a way， i identify with her） "Depression strikes down deep。 The fact that depression seems to be “in the air” right now can be both the cause and result of a level of societal malaise that so many feel。 But once someone is a clinical case， once someone is in a hospital bed or in a stretcher headed for the morgue， his story is absolutely and completely his own。 Every person who has experienced a severe depression has his own sad， awful tale to tell， his own mess to live through。 Sadly， Kurt Cobain will never get that far。 Every day， I thank God that I did。" right now i thank god as well that you did get so far。 rip elizabeth wurtzel 。。。more
Alex
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Having had major depression for 2/3 of my life （now recovered）， so much of this book felt DEAD ON RIGHT。 A bit tough to read in that regard but she is also darkly hilarious and a great writer。
Eileen Bushelow
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Skimm Reads: memoir about a woman with depression before prozac
Kath
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love this book so much！ it was so relatable and made me feel like i’m not alone。 I also loved how Elizabeth mentioned Girl，Interrupted because it’s one of my favs
Tanvi
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Interesting content， but the writing is just so terrible that it is hard to get past the first page。。。。
Jessica
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i don’t get it。 this was a super whiny memoir （that’s coming from a person who struggles with depression & anxiety）。 some aspects did resonate with me tho so 2 stars I guess
basha fredman
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elizabeth is so me， i love her relatability。 at first the pretentiousness and headiness of her dialect bothered me but it grew on me。 this book explores addiction， depression， and familial issues in a touching way。 i so enjoyed reading it。
Matthew
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It's not a chemical imbalance; it's a love imbalance: But not simply saying， "I love you。" A pro-active love， that initiates and sustains itself over the course of a committed relationship。 Reliable。 Secure。 An opportunity for healthy attachment， where one will not fall into an abyss but stand upon a solid rock。Depression， according to Wurtzel， may have been her inner rebellion against a world in which men cannot be expected to commit to their family。 Her father left her。 At one point he just di It's not a chemical imbalance; it's a love imbalance: But not simply saying， "I love you。" A pro-active love， that initiates and sustains itself over the course of a committed relationship。 Reliable。 Secure。 An opportunity for healthy attachment， where one will not fall into an abyss but stand upon a solid rock。Depression， according to Wurtzel， may have been her inner rebellion against a world in which men cannot be expected to commit to their family。 Her father left her。 At one point he just disappeared。 Her boyfriends and relationships didn't last in her teens and twenties。 She gave young men her body; they stole her heart。 She basically says your father can leave at will; your husband can leave at will。 If the most basic relationships have no enduring loyalties， there's no friendship that is secure。 Can we really expect more of people who are not our parents or partner？ And she won't complain because this is the worldview she's embraced。 Rather than restore a traditional view that would support her emotions， she accepts it as possibly some outdated evolution to have these feelings。 After all， she doesn't want people to feel trapped in marriage。 But the granted freedom has had its own consequences。 Instead of creating a culture to support our emotions， we have Prozac。 We dull those longings for human relationships with legal drugs， after the over the counter （alcohol and tobacco） and illegal ones prove useless in her case。 I have a feeling legalizing marijuana will not ultimately lead to stronger marriages and parenting relationships， but maybe something stronger than Prozac。 When you want your father to love your mother and you， your spouse to love you and your children， you have no say。 It's their choice at any point in your childhood， at any point in your adulthood。 You can't rebuke them as lacking integrity; they're being true to themselves。 Welcome to Prozac Nation where women cannot even expect boyfriends to do a single thing for them， or be there for them personally。 If all they want is sex， that's their prerogative。 Where you cannot expect anyone to love you for any enduring period of time。 I love this book because I see it as a young woman， as well as her mother， hysterically wanting to be loved -- and they're right to demand it。 They're not actually crazy， just needing to be legally drugged。 。。。more
Johanne
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En ganske tung og slitsom bok， men den gir et godt bilde på hvor grått， vondt og håpløst depresjon føles （så derfor også en viktig bok）。Tror kanskje jeg hadde fått mer ut av denne for noen år siden。
Jen Hyatt
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A tedious， exhausting read， but I think that’s the point。 Wurtzel is trapped in a depressive state for years， crying endlessly， unable to behave in a “normal” fashion， and unable to have healthy relationships， despite being bright， privileged， and talented。 It’s a fascinating peek into a time when depression was beginning to garner pharmaceutical solutions （Gen X， pre-Prozac）。
𝒯𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 𝒜𝓃𝓃𝑒 🏹🖤🥀
，
my god。 this book。 it’s such a blessing for someone to read that also has clinical depression。 to read the emotions of desperation to escape the evil of the mind in someone else’s words had me feeling less alone。 i absolutely love this book and feel so close to elizabeth after reading this & i’m so grateful she found a way out of the darkness to provide light for the depressed future 🖤 also prozac has helped me。 before i started taking prozac， i was in a much darker & deeper state of depression my god。 this book。 it’s such a blessing for someone to read that also has clinical depression。 to read the emotions of desperation to escape the evil of the mind in someone else’s words had me feeling less alone。 i absolutely love this book and feel so close to elizabeth after reading this & i’m so grateful she found a way out of the darkness to provide light for the depressed future 🖤 also prozac has helped me。 before i started taking prozac， i was in a much darker & deeper state of depression that was more consistent。 prozac doesn’t entirely remove your depression permanently， as i still experience depressive episodes from time to time。 however ， my day to day life with depression is in fact improved with the help of prozac。 。。。more
Ali
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made me more depressed
༺♥༻
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this was a really honest book and as someone with mental health issues that are almost a mirror to elizabeth’s it was really refreshing to see it represented so honestly。 i appreciated that she didn’t sugar coat anything and wrote the real （for me） experience with depression。
Kaylee Lauren
，
She’s a bit annoying， isn’t she？
Вікторія Слінявчук
，
Книга хороша тем， что Вурцель очень точно описывает переживание депрессии от первого лица。 Тем， кто это не переживали， но хотели бы понять， каково оно， прочитать книжку определенно стоит。 Тем， кто переживали или， тем более， сейчас переживают депрессию – если и читать， то с осторожностью， узнавание может быть болезненным。Элизабет Вурцель начала страдать депрессией с 11 лет， с начала полового созревания。 До 20 у неё и просветов-то почти не было。 Не помогало ничего: ни психотерапия， ни лекарства， н Книга хороша тем， что Вурцель очень точно описывает переживание депрессии от первого лица。 Тем， кто это не переживали， но хотели бы понять， каково оно， прочитать книжку определенно стоит。 Тем， кто переживали или， тем более， сейчас переживают депрессию – если и читать， то с осторожностью， узнавание может быть болезненным。Элизабет Вурцель начала страдать депрессией с 11 лет， с начала полового созревания。 До 20 у неё и просветов-то почти не было。 Не помогало ничего: ни психотерапия， ни лекарства， ни уж тем более наркотики и вечеринки， в которых она пыталась найти забвение。。。 Она много рассуждает о том， что же， собственно， послужило причиной многолетней тяжелой депрессии。 Да， ее родители рано развелись и долго перетягивали ее между собой – малоприятный опыт， конечно， но ведь такой есть у многих， однако， не все пребывают в депрессии годами。。。 （Отец ее， конечно， тот еще гад， например， отказался оплачивать лечение дочери， хотя для него это покрыла бы страховка; но он уперся – пусть мать оплачивает， так договаривались при разводе， что медрасходы на ней！ Мать же зарабатывает не так уж много， и полная оплата психотерапии по американским ценам ей просто не по карману。。。） Может， дело в том， что и отец， и другие родственники с его стороны страдали депрессией？ Действительно， есть определенный наследственный фактор у этого заболевания。 В общем， как бы то ни было， столь важные для формирования личности годы Элизабет Вурцель провела в крайне паршивом психическом состоянии。 Помог ей только Прозак （флуоксетин）， она была одной из первых пациенток， которых лечили этим медикаментом， еще на этапе исследований。 Не то чтобы депрессия прошла раз и навсегда， были и повторные эпизоды， но всё же сочетание Прозака и лития сильно улучшило качество её жизни。В эпилоге Вурцель размышляет о том， почему Прозак приобрел такую популярность。 На момент написания книги это лекарство заняло второе место среди самых часто назначаемых в США。 Неужели так много людей страдают депрессиями？ Или же произошла "тривиализация депрессии"， и препарат прописывают тем， кому он， в общем-то， не нужен， от вполне нормальных человеческих чувств: разочарования， печали， недовольства жизнью？。。。 То， что некоторые врачи делают такое назначение， не пообщавшись с пациентом и трех минут （！！！）， конечно， настораживает。 С другой стороны， может， депрессия и в самом деле настолько распространена？ Но почему же страдающих депрессией так много？ Может， что-то не в порядке в датском королевстве в американском обществе？ Однозначных ответов нет， но вопросы интересные。 。。。more
Genevieve Singzon
，
PROZAC NATION by Elizabeth WurtzelI remember goggle-ing “sad movies” or “movies about depression” when I， myself， was going through a phase （maybe not actually depression， just some low points in life） and Prozac Nation would always appear at the top of every list that appeared。 I don’t know what happened but even though I like Christina Ricci a lot and was really interested in the story， I wasn’t able to finish the movie。 But once when I was new to booksta， I saw a post featuring the book and I PROZAC NATION by Elizabeth WurtzelI remember goggle-ing “sad movies” or “movies about depression” when I， myself， was going through a phase （maybe not actually depression， just some low points in life） and Prozac Nation would always appear at the top of every list that appeared。 I don’t know what happened but even though I like Christina Ricci a lot and was really interested in the story， I wasn’t able to finish the movie。 But once when I was new to booksta， I saw a post featuring the book and I felt like I was compelled to read it so I went to shopee and relieved to have found this pre-loved copy of the memoir。This book which tells Wurtzel’s battle against her depression is， for me， a very valuable work and one which should be responsibly read to have a better understanding of the disease —� that it is real and it needs proper attention and treatment， that it is not something that one can just eliminate from his/her system by simply choosing to be happy， and for the fortunate ones to be more empathetic to the sufferers。While it is true that it came to a point where Ellie’s behavior has become annoying to me as a reader and I feel like I have become one of those people who have almost given up on her， I have to remind myself that this is her story， this is her account， and her bravery in sharing her vulnerablities unfiltered should be respected and thanked for as ultimately it sends a message that no matter the darkness， there will always be light and hope that awaits for the ones like her when we actually help and pay attention。TW: depression， suicide 。。。more
Jacqueline Wladis
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TRIGGER WARNING: a brilliant account of mentalIllness but caveat emptor， do not read if you are having suicidal thoughts or feelings。 Instead please call your doctor or someone you trust or the national suicide prevention hotline。Otherwise， prescient prose to be lauded for years to come。
Lara Nicoleti
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i love reading about mentally ill women but sometimes it takes too much off of me
Ville Verkkapuro
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Bumped into this at my library。 I swear: it was looking at me from the shelves。 But at the time I was busy with other books so I gave this one the cold shoulder。 I didn't stop to think about it， though。 I loved the name and the cover was speaking to me， it had an album vibe， a 90's MTV vibe， felt like a poster。 Then I read about the book somewhere else and realized the significance – it wasn't just something that caught my eye， but a cult classic that maybe started a whole new wave of memoirs。 T Bumped into this at my library。 I swear: it was looking at me from the shelves。 But at the time I was busy with other books so I gave this one the cold shoulder。 I didn't stop to think about it， though。 I loved the name and the cover was speaking to me， it had an album vibe， a 90's MTV vibe， felt like a poster。 Then I read about the book somewhere else and realized the significance – it wasn't just something that caught my eye， but a cult classic that maybe started a whole new wave of memoirs。 This was a sad and often frustrating portrayal of depression and addiction。 A coming-of-age from the depressive grunge generation。 I recall some lines from the Simpsons: "We're the MTV generation， we feel neither highs or lows。 What's it like？ Mehhh。"Basically depression is nothing cool， because it's nothing， it's negative energy but energy indeed， it drains you。 Very well written， I was highly involved in this。 I feel like I know what it truly feels like。The prose was perfection， just to my liking; a lot of particulars， intertextuality from Springsteen to Plath， pinches of humor， nothing too poetic and essayistic tendencies。 Instant fan of Wurtzel。As a whole， this was flawless。 Nothing more needed。 I especially enjoyed the wider pictures， of the personal depression put into a national context。 Six million Prozac users can't be wrong？ 。。。more
TheBookWarren
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3。75 Stars （Rnd ⬆️） — I’m extremely partial to “girls/men/animals interrupted” & this novel has one of the more ambiguous of those such characters。 A memoir of a 27yr Old woman that spirals down the ever blackening-gape that comes with demons fed by a strict diet of narcotics and psych drugs。But the real demon here is the narcissistic mindset that is allowed to prosper and spread inside the psyche of those with mental illness whom fall to substance abuse。 It is this demonic-trait that escalates 3。75 Stars （Rnd ⬆️） — I’m extremely partial to “girls/men/animals interrupted” & this novel has one of the more ambiguous of those such characters。 A memoir of a 27yr Old woman that spirals down the ever blackening-gape that comes with demons fed by a strict diet of narcotics and psych drugs。But the real demon here is the narcissistic mindset that is allowed to prosper and spread inside the psyche of those with mental illness whom fall to substance abuse。 It is this demonic-trait that escalates and prolongs the agony of the patient until there is literally nothing left to feed upon。 Wurtzel is able to endear herself to the reader despite the horrific & confronting anecdotes of a life in deep deep depression & squander — perhaps because she is able to engage the reader in the “behind-the-curtain” narrative whereby one can’t help but feel privy to a most private life that fills the voyeuristic-void in our dark passenger subconscious。 Either way， this novel was able to become a part of a larger movement that helped begin the societal informative process on newly created levels of participation — which has helped lead to the slow yet staunch progress into understanding — albeit on a mediocre level — the perils and hopelessness felt by those in the grip of mental illness。 。。。more
gigi raindrops
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This is the first time ever I have no idea how to rate a book。 Do I give this 5 stars？ Or do I give this 3 stars？ Did I enjoy reading this book？ No， but are you supposed to enjoy reading a memoir about a young girl who suffered from depression？ Did it give me a lot of insight？ Definitely！ Still I can't decide what to rate this book。 Let's just forget about the star rating for now & focus on the positives & negatives of the book。 First of all， Elizabeth did a wonderful job on showing what's it re This is the first time ever I have no idea how to rate a book。 Do I give this 5 stars？ Or do I give this 3 stars？ Did I enjoy reading this book？ No， but are you supposed to enjoy reading a memoir about a young girl who suffered from depression？ Did it give me a lot of insight？ Definitely！ Still I can't decide what to rate this book。 Let's just forget about the star rating for now & focus on the positives & negatives of the book。 First of all， Elizabeth did a wonderful job on showing what's it really like to life with & suffer from depression。 Even tho a lot of light has been shed on mental health these past couple of years， I still feel like depression gets taken way too lightly by so many people。 It gets brushed aside as if it's something no serious， it gets treated as some kinda phase that will fade on its own in just a couple of days。 Quite frankly it really is not that easy。 I'd recommend everyone who doesn't really understand the seriousness of depression to read this book。 Altho， from reading some other reviews on here， a lot of them might still not comprehend how awful depression can really be since they'd prefer to call Elizabeth self-indulgent， ungrateful & whiny。 Let's call her all that instead of showing some basic humanity， sure。 Also what did u expect from reading a memoir？ She wrote an entire book about herself， of course there's gonna be self-indulgence， like u would have in any memoir。 At least she's being honest or would u rather just have that she lies about everything & make it all seem like sunshine and rainbows？ Anyways， back to the book。 The author describes her life with depression as it truly is， very raw & brutal。 No downplaying of things， but that is what makes this such an excellent portrayal & gives people a lot of insight。 I also quite liked the the writing style。 She makes a lot of allusion/references， which shows that she's really smart。 On to something which I struggled with， which isn't the book's fault rather than just the topic。 This book deals with a very serious topic， making it a very hard & difficult book to read。 Like no joke， this took me some time to finish， this was such a heavy read！ Sometimes I read something & would just have to put the book down。 I could either feel her pain or I could relate to what she just said。 A lot of times I was just thinking & reflecting on what I just read & how some things she described resonated with me。 A very powerful read。 I recommend everyone who wants to educate themselves more on mental health （specifically depression） to read this book， as well as people who suffer from depression as well。 You are not alone， you are not insane & eventually things will get better。 。。。more
Hannah
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I will never be the same after reading this book。 I have never felt so seen。 Easily one of my favorites。。。ever。 if only because it made me feel less alone。 Definitely going to get a physical copy I got dog ear and highlight and return to whenever I do feel alone。 Thank you Elizabeth， thank you。
Aranee Senthil
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4/5 I wasn't sure where I stood with Prozac Nation until the last few pages and the epilogue， where Wurtzel aptly outlines something of a personal philosophy and， more importantly， an interesting examination of a growing social malaise that has only ballooned since 1994。 Although I enjoyed reading about Wurtzel's adolescence and early adulthood， I found it especially fascinating to read her early insights on the proliferation and overprescription of Prozac。 There is much you can try and dissect 4/5 I wasn't sure where I stood with Prozac Nation until the last few pages and the epilogue， where Wurtzel aptly outlines something of a personal philosophy and， more importantly， an interesting examination of a growing social malaise that has only ballooned since 1994。 Although I enjoyed reading about Wurtzel's adolescence and early adulthood， I found it especially fascinating to read her early insights on the proliferation and overprescription of Prozac。 There is much you can try and dissect about our present reality—from the 'destigmatization of mental health' to the use of anti-depressants—in light of these few insights made nearly thirty years ago。 Prozac Nation is difficult to rate （as all memoirs are）， but it comes as no surprise that many find it difficult and tedious， perhaps even label it whiney， privileged， and self-absorbed—but then why read a memoir about a depressive？ There's a lot to digest， and it surely isn't for those who struggle to empathize with pains that are unlike their own。 。。。more
Alexis
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Actual rating: 3。5I really wasn't sure how to rate this。 It's well written。 It's honest。 It's relentless。 It's sometimes exhausting but in a way that feels appropriate。 At the beginning I was having trouble getting through a chapter， and then by the last hundred pages， I was flying through multiple chapters in one sitting。 I'm not sure this book hits as hard today as it likely did when it was published simply because depression is now such a common topic of discussion and representation。 Nonethe Actual rating: 3。5I really wasn't sure how to rate this。 It's well written。 It's honest。 It's relentless。 It's sometimes exhausting but in a way that feels appropriate。 At the beginning I was having trouble getting through a chapter， and then by the last hundred pages， I was flying through multiple chapters in one sitting。 I'm not sure this book hits as hard today as it likely did when it was published simply because depression is now such a common topic of discussion and representation。 Nonetheless， this one is worth the read for the strength of its writing and also for the journey Wurtzel went on before Prozac was FDA approved and prescribed to her。 I found her original epilogue particularly thought-provoking。 。。。more
Emily Flynn
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emo queen
Molly Walters
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I've had depression for a long time and reading this was an eye-opener。 Hearing the poignancy of this gifted writer's experiences really helped open my mind to new ways to express myself。 I'm grateful I don't have as extreme a case as Wurtzel， and I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone who has it worse than I do。 It's a shame that I've waited to read such an important book until I was 40 years old。 I've put tons of post-it notes in it to re-reference as I'd like。 This is now one of my favori I've had depression for a long time and reading this was an eye-opener。 Hearing the poignancy of this gifted writer's experiences really helped open my mind to new ways to express myself。 I'm grateful I don't have as extreme a case as Wurtzel， and I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone who has it worse than I do。 It's a shame that I've waited to read such an important book until I was 40 years old。 I've put tons of post-it notes in it to re-reference as I'd like。 This is now one of my favorite books and one I will certainly recommend to many！ 。。。more
Alex2739
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