"The Conscience of Psychiatry"

This week I have begun reading some of the works of the well known psychiatry reform advocate, Peter Breggin, MD. Breggin is himself a psychiatrist. He has a private practice in New York. He attended Harvard College, Case Western Reserve Medical School, did his residency as a psychiatrist and had a teaching fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He also worked for the National Institute of Mental Health. Breggin is a very busy man. He's found an organization called the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology. He's founded his own journal and he edits other journals. He also testifies as an express witness in a variety of psychiatry-related court cases. He also found time to write seventeen books and one film, often produced with the assistance of his wife.

 The film instructs psychiatrists beginning their careers to infuse empathy in their style of psychotherapy. He wrote three books to that end as well.  He also wrote a book on treating schizophrenic patients as well as a book on treating children. One of the books is a biographical tribute to Breggin's reform work.  One of them is a book discussing the connection between psychotherapy and peacemaking in any sort of conflict. Another one of his books, which I have acquired, is Medication Madness A Psychiatrist Exposes the Danger of Mood Altering Medications, which examines the possible connection between acts of violence and the psychiatric drugs the perpetrators were taking at the time. If this connection can be proven, this is a significant argument that psychiatric drugs are harmful to society. The argument of the book seems to be that the drugs can only mask a growing depression, psychosis or other state of instability. Breggin mentions common drugs like Prozac, Xanax and Ritalin in his accusations. Breggin also discusses the harmful nature of psychiatric drugs in a book discussing the way they, along with electroshock, can disable the brain. However, I am not reviewing that book due to it's apparent emphasis on electroconvulsive therapy.  Breggin has written two books discussing Ritalin, one a direct attack on the medication. He has written a book that disparages the supposed attack of psychiatry on inner city kids in an effort to reduce violence. He wrote one book discussing antidepressants and one book more specifically criticizing the antidepressant Prozac (seen in my slideshow as fluoxetine). I have acquired both of these works of Breggin. He also wrote a book instructing patients on when and how to stop taking medication. His 17th book comes out of left field and discusses what it is to be an American.

Examining his body of work, it is clear that Breggin takes a very humanistic, empathetic and hands on approach to psychiatry. However, I still find myself wondering if psychiatric drugs could possibly be on the market today if they were as dangerous as he implies. Hopefully, reading Medication Madness A Psychiatrist Exposes the Danger of Mood Altering Medications, The Antidepressant Fact Book:What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa and Luvox, and Talking Back to Prozac:What Doctors Aren't Telling You About Prozac and the Newer Antidepressants will give me insight into his apparently radical point of view as well as general knowledge about antidepressants and some anti-anxiety medication.

Breggin, Peter, and Ginger Breggin. "Books." Psychiatric Drug Facts with Dr. Peter Breggin. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content>.


"About Peter Breggin - HOME." Psychiatric Drug Facts with Dr. Peter Breggin. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.breggin.com/>. 

Peter Breggin. Digital image. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.breggin.com/prbconscience.jpg>.

"About Peter Breggin." Psychiatric Drug Facts with Dr. Peter Breggin. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.breggin.com/prbbio.html>.