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Peter D. Kramer

@peterdkramer.bsky.social
1.2K followers 676 following 380 posts

Author, most recently, of Death of the Great Man, a novel. Also new: 30th anniversary edition of Listening to Prozac. peterdkramer.com

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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Has anyone speculated about the timing of the US crackdown on drugs imported from Canada...just as Ozempic goes off-patent there? Was the change in enforcement part of the deal that Trump made with manufacturers? He can point to low prices while Americans often pay more. www.wsj.com/health/healt...
wsj.com
Americans Are About to Lose Access to Cheap Gray-Market Prescriptions From Canada
Millions who use online pharmacies from Canada and other countries could get cut off in October.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A thoughtful discussion of the role and best use of SSRIs. Level-headed, sensitive to context—probably as good as we are going to get today: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What R.F.K. Jr. Gets Wrong — and Right — About Antidepressants
What’s missing in the national conversation on mental health medication.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Lots of sarcastic, hyper-critical reviews of Rachel Cusk's Life of M. Fine as news—Cusk savages Portman. But take the novel on its own terms, as a portrait of our times, and it's a tour de force. Cusk writes so well! She captures life in the bubble of fame and wealth—and outside the bubble, too.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Update on an old finding. Intermittent SSRI treatment gives rapid relief from irritability in perimenstrual dysphoric disorder. For a similar study from 2008, see below. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Escitalopram and brain reactivity to aggressive stimuli in premenstrual dysphoric disorder | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core
Escitalopram and brain reactivity to aggressive stimuli in premenstrual dysphoric disorder
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Folarin Balogun's lineage, yet more confusing than it needs to be: "Born to Nigerian parents who lived in London, his mother wound up giving birth to him in Brooklyn…" Copy edit? Or a discussion of the need to tolerate misplaced modifiers? @bcdreyer.social www.wsj.com/sports/socce...
wsj.com
The U.S. Soccer Star at the Center of the World Cup’s Most Stunning Controversy
Folarin Balogun elected to represent the U.S. in 2023 for the chance to play at a home World Cup. He never imagined that a refereeing call against him would become an international incident.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Devastating to learn of the death of Gordon Wood. Our paths crossed in 1996 when we served as panelists discussing the upcoming Presidential election and why voting matters. For the life of me, I cannot recall why I was included. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/08/m...
bostonglobe.com
Gordon Wood, American Revolution expert cited in ‘Good Will Hunting,’ fatally struck by car in R.I. parking lot - The Boston Globe
A longtime Brown University professor who won a Pulitzer Prize for his writing, Wood was name-checked by Matt Damon in the film about a self-taught genius.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
In Hungary, Orban's gerrymandering backfired. He drew many winner-take-all districts where he expected narrow wins—& then added another amplification method. That's how 54% of the vote gave Magyar 69% of the parliamentary seats. Hoping that something similar happens to the GOP in Texas & elsewhere.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
NYTimes makes Dr. Robby out as a high-functioning depressive. It's wonderful if a widely seen show highlights that category. I often wrote about how indispensable my depressed patients were to organizations they worked for. But you can be lost & suicidal without being clinically depressed.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Ambiguous hed in @wsj.com? If you judge your hotel roommate to be revolting, you'd better hope that your suite's bathroom has a door. www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The second half of this March 7 @hcrichardson.bsky.social piece details @whitehouse.senate.gov's theory that Putin has used sexual blackmail to make Trump a puppet. The account echoes themes of my 2023 novel Death of the Great Man. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-7-2026
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
March 7, 2026
At 8:50 yesterday morning, President Donald J.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
www.borowitzreport.com/p/hillary-de...
borowitzreport.com
Hillary Destroys the Republicans
They’d soon regret sending her a subpoena.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Re-upping my post from November
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Why have the New York Times and Washington Post not covered Judge Boasberg's decision that the US remains responsible for the Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador and owes them due-process hearings? www.npr.org/2025/12/22/n...
npr.org
Federal judge says U.S. must give due process to deported Venezuelans
Judge James Boasberg said the U.S. denied due process to the Venezuelan men it deported to a prison in El Salvador after President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
I've been remiss in not posting the new landing page for the audio book of my novel Death of the Great Man. More timely than ever... and now, at half price. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
audiobooks.com
50% OFF Death of the Great Man
In a novel that’s part comic mystery, part political satire, and part case vignette, a psychiatrist reviews his involvement with a narcissistic national leader who has turned up dead on the cons...
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
I doubt that @parul_sehgal is following along on X. I try to avoid it as well, but with the Super Bowl approaching, I posted there about a commercial in which skepticism of the overused trauma plot becomes a meme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxRe...
youtube.com
A Message From Emma Stone | Big Game Commercial 2026 | Squarespace
YouTube video by Squarespace
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
In conjunction with Mark Ruffalo's new piece on influential psychiatric medications, Psychology Today has reposted my talk with him in 2021. www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/from...
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Dennis Prager had just re-upped my 2007 (speak about timeless!) conversation with him about Sigmund Freud. am870theanswer.com/podcasts/den...
am870theanswer.com
Timeless Wisdom: Ultimate Issues Hour - Freud w/Peter D. Kramer
On Today's Show: Prager explores the complex legacy of Sigmund Freud with Peter Kramer, a professor of psychiatry at Brown University. They delve into Freud's impact on modern thought, discussing his ...
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Any chance that the "Drake Maye" nickname got its energy from the "Roy Kent" chant on Ted Lasso? www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/24/s...
bostonglobe.com
Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye’s nickname suits him, as he is true to himself as leader of the Patriots - The Boston Globe
The Patriots quarterback has showcased his leadership style this year by letting humility and gratitude lead the way.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Pretty-convincing small trial finding dialectical behavior therapy more effective than SSRIs in reducing suicidality in highly vulnerable patients with borderline personality disorder. psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
psychiatryonline.org
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Versus Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Treatment for Suicidal Behavior in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial | American Journal of Psychiatry
Objective: The authors compared the efficacy of 6 months of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to 6 months of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors with clinical management (SSRI/M) in reducing suic...
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
A clear test of whether the Supreme Court majority is originalist or merely political & subservient. If the Court rules against unbounded Presidential authority to impose tariffs, democracy still has a chance, despite SCOTUS's willingness to undermine it elsewhere www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Tune Into the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The Justices Will Be Squirming.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Quick email to Ramesh Ponnuru on what we know about SSRIs and violence www.nationalreview.com/corner/do-ss...
nationalreview.com
Do SSRIs Cause Violence? | National Review
An answer from Peter Kramer.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
At last. Today ‪@nytimes.com‬ has an essay describing Trump's routine acts as coming from an authoritarian playbook. That's what's often missing from reporting & opinion both: Reminders that a behavior under discussion not only ruptures norms but also serves in a campaign to undercut democracy.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
In 1969, when the Waldorf-Astoria had lost much of its glory, it rented rooms to Newsweek for staff who had to work late into the night. I was put up there when writing on the moonshot for the July 28 issue when "Newsweek beat Time" to the newsstand. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
A Peacock’s-Eye View of the Waldorf Remade
Waldorf Astoria New York, one of the city’s grandest hotels, closed for renovations in 2017. After almost eight years and billions of dollars, it returns, reborn for the 21st century.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Not sure why the whole Web isn't saying this. Trump's Brazil tariff is illegal. Presidents can impose tariffs only for limited economic reasons. Interfering with a prosecution abroad is not a permitted rationale. The issue is both legislative & constitutional. Only Congress can levy taxes.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Sad to learn of the death of Anna Ornstein, a yet more influential figure in psychiatry than this obituary suggests—and a sterling person. Oddly, I just quoted her in a talk I gave in Germany last week. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/h...
nytimes.com
Anna Ornstein, Psychoanalyst Who Survived the Holocaust, Dies at 98
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
SSA BS. Is this politicization a first? Just got an email from the Social Security Administration patting the President on the back for the budget-busting bill Irony (one of many) is that the bill changes the taxation of benefits in a way that threatens to deplete the fund a year early.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Yesterday, a friend said that last year, when reading my novel, Death of the Great Man, she had found an important section implausible. The protagonist's daughter-in-law, although married to an American citizen & under consideration for a Green Card, is suddenly slated to be deported to a war zone.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Listening to a podcast about the Ortega y Gasset's Revolt of the Masses (1929) which, for my sins, I have not read. He warns that in modern democracy, the masses become spoiled children who enact spiritual barbarism based in a lack of awareness of the history of institutions.
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Reposted by Peter D. Kramer
Paul Summergrad, M.D. @paulsummergrad.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
@peterdkramer.bsky.social recent novel is worth your attention www.peterdkramer.com/death-of-the...
peterdkramer.com
Death of the Great Man — Peter D. Kramer
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Medicare cuts. They're real. 4% per year x 10 years if the House bill passes the Senate unchanged. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump and GOP’s tax bill would force cuts to Medicare, CBO says
Some $500 billion in cuts to Medicare could be avoided if Congress instructs the White House budget office to disregard the reconciliation package’s debt impact.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
I just came across an email saying that three days ago, Psychology Today re-featured an essay of mine from 10 years ago that maybe does still have something to say about (our current whipping boys) antidepressants and the clinicians who use them. Take a look. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-p...
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
It's possible that in the markets, US corporations have enjoyed a stability premium—up-valuation based on their being housed in a strong, predictable economy. Will they now, due to Trump's impulsivity & wrongheadedness, suffer an instability penalty, lower valuation simply for being based in the US?
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Hate to say this, but you've gotta head to X & explore the posts around this clever realization by James Surowiecki. He figured out the formula the While House used, which has nothing to do with reciprocal tariffs—& the Administration inadvertently confirmed his finding. x.com/JamesSurowie...
x.com
James Surowiecki on X: "Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us. So we" / X
Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us. So we
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Not sure how I missed this highly distressing piece by Thomas Edsall in @nytimes.com. It should have gotten more play. Trump is running what, in my novel Death of the Great Man, characters call a thanatocracy, government out to kill its own citizens (& others). www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | ‘It Is Hard to Imagine a More Sweeping Agenda to Make Americans Less Healthy’
Trump says one thing about toxins and does another.
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Reposted by Peter D. Kramer
Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 17/03/2025
The president has no unilateral power to slash the budget passed by Congress. We cover *every* aspect of the argument for presidential impoundment power and show that nothing in the Constitution, federal case law, or American history supports it. Summarized: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/musk-and-v...
Musk and Vought’s funding cuts are based on historical fiction
A comprehensive rebuttal to the myth that presidents have sweeping historical powers to impound funds.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Re-upping for the daytime crowd: "Stop saying 'continuing resolution.' Start saying blank check for Elon Musk." @jfallows.bsky.social on why Democratic Senators should vote No. fallows.substack.com/p/the-only-p...
fallows.substack.com
‘The Only Practical Check That’s Left Is the Power of the Purse.’
In the baffling haze of dealing with ‘everything, all the time,' a few clear signals of where to take a stand. Let's start with Democrats all voting NO on a blank check for Elon Musk.
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Reposted by Peter D. Kramer
Liz Cheney @lizcheney.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
History will remember this day— when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for.
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Reposted by Peter D. Kramer
Liz Cheney @lizcheney.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelenskyy is risking his life to defend. But today, Donald Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelenskyy and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
@jfallows.bsky.social on how Trump's & Musk's mindless destruction of the advisory system for air safety is a marker for destruction of other systems that make us safe—and economically competitive. open.substack.com/pub/fallows/...
open.substack.com
‘They Were Careless People’: Taking Moments to Tear Down What Has Taken Lifetimes to Create.
The zealots of Doge and Project 2025 are out to ‘cut waste.’ They will certainly cost lives: An example from aviation.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Matt C Kramer (artist) in nytimes agaIn: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/w...
nytimes.com
I Bought a House. I Got a Neighborhood. (Gift Article)
Sometimes when you’re looking for a refuge, what you really need is a community.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
@nickkristof.bsky.social effectively says that the "existential" threat to democracy is already being enacted. In the distance, he can imagine a way back. It will be a difficult project, no? Once you have a corrupt bureaucracy, loyal to ideology, stripped of true expertise—how do you reform it?
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
What would it mean to negotiate with Republicans on a budget bill? The GOP would get spending on some programs & the Democrats on others—& Trump would not release funds for the Democratic initiatives. How can you support a budget that won't be adhered to? www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/u...
nytimes.com
Bracing for a Shutdown Fight, Democrats Warn Their Votes Are Not a Given
As Democrats ponder how best to position themselves for a looming spending confrontation, they are finding novel ways to put Republicans on the spot.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Bravo @kairyssdal.bsky.social
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
"BREAKING: RFK JR CONFIRMED AS HHS SECRETARY" Quick hed that says it all about our times. Farce as news, news as deadly threat.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Questions of standing are going to complicate these suits against the Administration. Ideally, Congress would ask the courts to make the President obey the law—protecting agencies that the legislature has established and disbursing funds it authorized. It's Congress that has been undermined.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
1/ My first real contact with infants involved holding & trying to feed "failure-to-thrive" babies, ones not gaining weight. I would put in time at the end of my clinical pediatrics shifts in med school or, more, at night when I was on-call on the unit. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/s...
nytimes.com
When Your Only Job Is to Cuddle
By cradling strangers’ infants in the neonatal unit, I regained faith in the value of small acts of tenderness.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Reposting my thread from just prior to Trump's inauguration.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
I don't know that I've seen anyone comment on RFK, Jr's, collection of concerns (& falsehoods). He focuses on autism via vaccines, mental illness via SSRIs & ADHD meds, gay men via HIV/AIDs, & gays (again) & transgender youth via pesticides. The entire concern is with the marginalized or disfavored.
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Reposted by Peter D. Kramer
Awais Aftab @awaisaftab.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Confessions of an Ambivalent Psychiatrist A guest essay by the psychiatrist Susan Mahler on her experience of depression (including treatments with ECT) and how she finds herself in a position where both lived and professional experience are failing her www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/confession...
psychiatrymargins.com
Confessions of an Ambivalent Psychiatrist
Susan Mahler, MS, MD, is a writer and psychiatrist who practices in North Adams, MA.
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Peter D. Kramer @peterdkramer.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Hornby on 🐝 nickhornby.substack.com/p/my-spellin...
nickhornby.substack.com
My Spelling Bee Diary
I hate everyone especially me and you
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