Title: The Molecule and the Myth
Subtitle: Clozapine, Fear, and Data in Psychiatry
Subject Classification:  Medicine and Medical Ethics, Psychology, Decision Making  
BIC Classification: MB, MMH, GPQ
BISAC Classification:
Binding: Hardback, eBook
Planned publication date: Aug 2026
ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-83711-751-2
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-83711-752-9

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Description

The Molecule and the Myth is a narrative-analytical exploration of clozapine, the most effective yet most misunderstood drug in psychiatry. Blending history of science, ethics, pharmacology, and real-world data, the book examines how fear and institutional inertia shaped clinical practice for decades, often at the expense of patients with the most severe and treatment-resistant forms of schizophrenia.

Through a combination of historical reconstruction, narrative nonfiction, and published evidence, the book explains how a single drug became the object of a professional mythology — and how modern data reveal a far more nuanced, ethically urgent reality.

Drawing on insights from the WHO VigiBase, long-term clinical observation, and the author’s own work in adherence and shared decision-making, the book uncovers the true risk hierarchy of clozapine: the central role of aspiration and pneumonia, the manageable nature of myocarditis, and the silent tragedy of delayed treatment.

Intended for clinicians, researchers, ethicists, and informed readers, The Molecule and the Myth offers both a compelling narrative and a re-evaluation of medical responsibility. It provides an evidence-based, conceptually rich argument for rethinking risk, rewriting guidelines, and restoring clozapine to its rightful place in ethical psychiatric care.

Biography

Author(s):  Carlos De las Cuevas is Full Professor of Psychiatry at the Universidad de La Laguna (Spain). His work focuses on psychopharmacology, adherence, shared decision-making, and the rational and ethical use of clozapine, combining clinical practice with pharmacovigilance research.

Reviews

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