His book is part of a new critical genre that likens society to a mental patient. The prognosis is grim. In "American Mania," he argues that the country is on the downswing of a manic episode set off by the Internet bubble of the 1990's.
"It's a metaphor that helps guide us," he said, perched on a chair in the study of his rambling high-rise apartment near U.C.L.A. "I think we've shot through happiness as one does in hypomania and come out the other end, and we're not quite sure where we are.

Disclaimer: Der grundsätzliche Ansatz lässt sich gut weiterspinnen, die Argumente sind mehr so hit-and-miss.
Interessant fand ich den Vorwurf, er biete keine Lösungen an. Wozu denn? Lachhafte Vorstellung, dass sich mit der richtigen Medizin alles "lösen" lässt.