The story examines the policies that govern clinical trials for psychiatric drugs, told through the lens of bioethicist Carl Elliott and a young man for whom he has long sought justice, Dan Markingson. Markingson was 27 years old when he died by suicide during a clinical trial of antipsychotic drugs at Elliott’s home base, the University of Minnesota. The story touches on several themes: Elliott’s years-long fight against his employer; controversy over how clinical trials, especially those with vulnerable subjects, are monitored; and the structures in place to address conflicts and potential problems when something goes terribly wrong.
