Dr. Dalrymple returns to The Spectator after a four-year hiatus with an insightful essay on the reasons behind the fact that one in six people in Britain are now on antidepressants.

Thank you to Andrew S. for bringing this new Dalrymple piece to our attention. Cheers, Andrew.

The patient also benefits in a certain way, even in the absence of that placebo effect. He is pleased that his misery is validated as an illness, thus removing some of the need for self-examination or the making of difficult decisions about his existence. He has successfully transferred some of the responsibility for his life from himself to the doctor and this is always gratifying.