Summary Of Brave New World By Adolph Huxley

In Adolph Huxley’s novel Brave New World, citizens allow a mood-altering drug called ‘soma’ influence their day-to-day actions. Much like modern mood-altering drugs, soma is used to control any emotions deemed different from societal expectations. In the realm of Brave New World, this includes sadness, grief, and loneliness. Characters in the novel have been conditioned to take soma whenever they feel such emotions, forcing them into a state of euphoric bliss. This type of dependency differs greatly from how mood stabilizers are dispersed in the real world. Both scenarios raise questions to the validity of such artificial happiness provoked by medication. When examining the modern usage of mood alternating drugs, it is easy to see the benefits, specifically in the realm of abnormal psychology. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and mood stabilizers are often used when treating depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Many individuals suffer from pre-existing chemical imbalances, allowing medication that corrects these imbalances to relieve symptoms. Not only can patients experience improved mood and level of functioning, they also can experience relief from physical symptoms such as fatigue and pain.
The unique biochemistry of every individual’s brain makes it difficult to accurately predicate what specific medications and dosages will provide the most relief with the least side effects. Additionally, many feel that mood altering drugs such as Xanax and Prozac do not treat underlying causes of such so-called mood disorders. Many times, environmental factors play such a significant role in causing the disorder that the patient could benefit more from a change in lifestyle or behavioral or cognitive therapy. If examined from this perspective, mood stabilizers are much like bandages that cover and contain the symptoms, but never truly heal the