I thought it was particularly interesting when the author talked about differing reactions people had when taking psychiatric medication. It then seems that the effect of psychiatric medication has more to do with the person's frame of mind than any actual effect of the medication.

According to the author, if the patient rejects the doctor's authority, the patient can react even more violently when put on psychiatric medication. Even more interestingly, the author goes on to suggest that patients who do take the medication take it to placate authority, rather than for perceived effect. The author uses the example of someone in a highly stressful job taking Xanax instead of marijuana because while they might believe marijuana helps more, they don't take it due to employer drug tests.

It leads me to this question: when doctors think a medication is working, do they think so because of actual beneficial effects seen in the patient, or simply because the patient is complying with the treatment?