Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of Prozac Nation, dies at 52

Elizabeth Wurtzel.
(Image credit: David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons)

Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of the controversial 1994 memoir, Prozac Nation, has died at age 52. Her husband Jim Freed confirmed to CNN that she lost her battle with breast cancer at a hospital in Manhattan Tuesday morning.

Wurtzel startled the world with her memoir chronicling her experience with mental illness and pharmaceutical medication within the context of her generation. While it received mixed reviews, her book ignited conversation about "The United States of Depression," as Wurtzel put it.

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Brielle Diskin

Brielle Diskin is an Associate Editor at The Week Junior. Her writing has appeared in Men's Health, Popsugar, Girls on Tops, Wondermind, and other publications. A reluctant Jersey Girl, Brielle has a degree in journalism from Rutgers University. She lives in Hoboken and loves movies, Nora Ephron, and cooking viral TikTok recipes.