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Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry: Drugs, Electroshock & the Psychopharmaceutical Complex
From the author of Toxic Psychiatry and Talking Back to Prozac :
Peter Breggin is the conscience of American psychiatry. Once more he updates us on the real evidence with respect to the safety and effectiveness of specific psychiatric medications and ECT. This information is needed by all mental health professionals, as well as patients and families." -- Bertram Karon , Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University, Author of The Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia "Nowhere does false medical thinking do more harm than in the modern psychiatric argument that mental illness is easily diagnosed and then cured by a side-effect free drug. Nowhere is the correct psychiatric thinking more evident than in the books by Peter Breggin. -- William Glasser , MD, psychiatrist, author of Reality Therapy In Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry , renowned psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, M.D., presents startling scientific research on the dangerous behavioral abnormalities and brain dysfunctions produced by the most widely used and newest psychiatric drugs such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Effexor, Xanax, Ativan, Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Risperdal, Zyprexa, Geodon, Abilify, lithium and Depakote. Many of Breggin's earlier findings have improved clinical practice, led to legal victories against drug companies, and resulted in FDA-mandated changes in what the manufacturers must admit about their drugs. Yet reliance on these drugs has continued to escalate in the last decade, and drug company interests have overwhelmed psychiatric practice. This greatly expanded second edition, supported by the latest evidence-based research, shows that psychiatric drugs achieve their primary or essential effect by causing brain dysfunction, and that they tend to do far more harm than good. New scientific analyses in this completely updated edition
Peter Breggin is the conscience of American psychiatry. Once more he updates us on the real evidence with respect to the safety and effectiveness of specific psychiatric medications and ECT. This information is needed by all mental health professionals, as well as patients and families." -- Bertram Karon , Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University, Author of The Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia "Nowhere does false medical thinking do more harm than in the modern psychiatric argument that mental illness is easily diagnosed and then cured by a side-effect free drug. Nowhere is the correct psychiatric thinking more evident than in the books by Peter Breggin. -- William Glasser , MD, psychiatrist, author of Reality Therapy In Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry , renowned psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, M.D., presents startling scientific research on the dangerous behavioral abnormalities and brain dysfunctions produced by the most widely used and newest psychiatric drugs such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Effexor, Xanax, Ativan, Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Risperdal, Zyprexa, Geodon, Abilify, lithium and Depakote. Many of Breggin's earlier findings have improved clinical practice, led to legal victories against drug companies, and resulted in FDA-mandated changes in what the manufacturers must admit about their drugs. Yet reliance on these drugs has continued to escalate in the last decade, and drug company interests have overwhelmed psychiatric practice. This greatly expanded second edition, supported by the latest evidence-based research, shows that psychiatric drugs achieve their primary or essential effect by causing brain dysfunction, and that they tend to do far more harm than good. New scientific analyses in this completely updated edition
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GenresMental Health
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
This is a big book and not an easy read. Breggin states he is writing for professionals, although he hopes the book is clear enough for non-professionals to understand. Party due to the technical difficulty, I only read the first and last sections, along with the brief conclusions in the middle sections. This was still enough to convince me that of the 15 or so professional psychology books I've read in recent years this one is the most exciting and the one that did the most to change my thinking on mental health treatment.
Breggin, age 79, has been a practicing psychiatrist in upstate New York for over 40 years. He claims he has never prescribed medication and has never lost a person to suicide. His credentials and clinical experience make it hard for me to dismiss him as a quack, although many have tried and continue to do so.
He disagrees with the biological model for mental illness and avoids labels such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His approach is to listen to a patient's life story. That is, to treat him or her as a person and not as a problem to fix.
The part that threw me the most is Breggin's belief that psychiatric drugs are not only ineffective, they are harmful and work against recovery by impairing mental and emotional function. People's belief these medications are helping them are due to the drugs' spellbinding effect, much like the belief that you are witty and in control when you're drunk.
I was moved by the final section of his book, where he outlines his 20 tips for an empathetic psychiatry. He notes these guidelines could also be used in our everyday lives with colleagues and friends, and insists they have worked in his psychiatric practice, even with the most difficult and psychotic cases.
Psychosis, he says, is a "loss of connectedness to other human beings. The individual who withdraws into a fearful, self-protective, irrational fantasy responds best to being treated with kindness, respect, and the gradual building of rapport."
I found many of Breggin's comments spellbinding.
Breggin, age 79, has been a practicing psychiatrist in upstate New York for over 40 years. He claims he has never prescribed medication and has never lost a person to suicide. His credentials and clinical experience make it hard for me to dismiss him as a quack, although many have tried and continue to do so.
He disagrees with the biological model for mental illness and avoids labels such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His approach is to listen to a patient's life story. That is, to treat him or her as a person and not as a problem to fix.
The part that threw me the most is Breggin's belief that psychiatric drugs are not only ineffective, they are harmful and work against recovery by impairing mental and emotional function. People's belief these medications are helping them are due to the drugs' spellbinding effect, much like the belief that you are witty and in control when you're drunk.
I was moved by the final section of his book, where he outlines his 20 tips for an empathetic psychiatry. He notes these guidelines could also be used in our everyday lives with colleagues and friends, and insists they have worked in his psychiatric practice, even with the most difficult and psychotic cases.
Psychosis, he says, is a "loss of connectedness to other human beings. The individual who withdraws into a fearful, self-protective, irrational fantasy responds best to being treated with kindness, respect, and the gradual building of rapport."
I found many of Breggin's comments spellbinding.
This book is single-handedly responsible for my objective view of psychiatry. I discovered it when I was 14 (I'm 25 now) and I'm still constantly referring back to it. Although this was written a while ago, the information it contains leads to updated research easily found on a college database or even PubMed for those with limited access. I'm honored to even have just a personal piece published on the same website as Dr. Peter Breggin.
You will learn the classes of medications, how they are defined, their lack of validity in research, and the ever growing threat of publication bias and researcher corruption. It's no secret that doctors and facilities (particularly nursing facilities) are given kickbacks for prescribing medication, as has been in the news recently with the "opiate crisis" (think Purdue Pharma). Good research professors in college are the ones that make this well known to their students. It's also no secret that many swear on their life by medication, and that sometimes it works.
People often feel these kinds of books are there to demonize psychiatry or shame medication users, and this is not the case. We are shaming the multi-billion dollar industry profiting off of purposefully faulty science. The fact is, these types of treatments can be useful if we study them correctly, if we stop overmedicating children for ADHD that is actually just a tantrum, and stop running to loads of medication for control just because we don't understand someone's experience.
This is worth a read if you've ever questioned your practice, your medication, your diagnosis, your treatment. This is wroth a read if you've never questioned your practice, your medication, your diagnosis, or your treatment.
You will learn the classes of medications, how they are defined, their lack of validity in research, and the ever growing threat of publication bias and researcher corruption. It's no secret that doctors and facilities (particularly nursing facilities) are given kickbacks for prescribing medication, as has been in the news recently with the "opiate crisis" (think Purdue Pharma). Good research professors in college are the ones that make this well known to their students. It's also no secret that many swear on their life by medication, and that sometimes it works.
People often feel these kinds of books are there to demonize psychiatry or shame medication users, and this is not the case. We are shaming the multi-billion dollar industry profiting off of purposefully faulty science. The fact is, these types of treatments can be useful if we study them correctly, if we stop overmedicating children for ADHD that is actually just a tantrum, and stop running to loads of medication for control just because we don't understand someone's experience.
This is worth a read if you've ever questioned your practice, your medication, your diagnosis, your treatment. This is wroth a read if you've never questioned your practice, your medication, your diagnosis, or your treatment.
I gave this book 5 stars because of its importance. This information is desperately needed by all those who are in the business of helping others. This book should be read by pastors, psychologists, social workers, school counselors etc. The author, Peter Breggin, supported by the latest research shows again that psychiatric drugs achieve their effect by causing brain dysfunction and in the end they do far more harm than good. Besides terrific information, this book will serve as a great resource for years to come; you do want this on your shelf. Whether you read it straight through or by sections you will wish you had this book sooner.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews