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Controlling Moods and Minds: Depression and Smart Drugs

A lecture in which Professor Barbara Sahakian, Professor Richard Bentall and columnist Clare Allan discuss depression, decision-making and the morality of medical treatments.

Professor Barbara Sahakian's book Bad Moves questions the ethics of smart drugs; they help treat brain injury and illness but should they be available to the healthy? Richard Bentall is the Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool and author of Madness Explained and Doctoring the Mind.
Guardian columnist and author Clare Allan drew on her experiences of being a psychiatric patient in her novel Poppy Shakespeare.
The theme of this year's Free Thinking Festival is "Who's In Control?". Presenter Rana Mitter chairs this discussion looking at the neuroscience of depression, how it affects decision-making and the morality of medical treatments.

Producer: Philippa Ritchie.

Available now

45 minutes

Further information and support

If you have been affected by any of the issues dealt with in tonight鈥檚 programme, there鈥檚 more information on organisations that can offer advice and support at .

Broadcast

  • Mon 4 Nov 2013 22:00

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

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