Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy and Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock, and Biochemical Theories of the "New Psychiatry" [Paperback]

Peter Breggin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1994

Prozac, Xanax, Halcion, Haldol, Lithium. These psychiatric drugs--and dozens of other short-term "solutions"--are being prescribed by doctors across the country as a quick antidote to depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other psychiatric problems. But at what cost?

In this searing, myth-shattering exposé, psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, M.D., breaks through the hype and false promises surrounding the "New Psychiatry" and shows how dangerous, even potentially brain-damaging, many of its drugs and treatments are. He asserts that: psychiatric drugs are spreading an epidemic of long-term brain damage; mental "illnesses" like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorder have never been proven to be genetic or even physical in origin, but are under the jurisdiction of medical doctors; millions of schoolchildren, housewives, elderly people, and others are labeled with medical diagnoses and treated with authoritarian interventions, rather than being patiently listened to, understood, and helped.

Toxic Psychiatry sounds a passionate, much-needed wake-up call for everyone who plays a part, active or passive, in America's ever-increasing dependence on harmful psychiatric drugs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Breggin, director of the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and author of Psychi atric Drugs: Hazards to the Brain (Springer Pub., 1983), describes his latest book as "the culmination of a lifetime of scientific, educational, and reform work." Breggin is anything but dispassionate: the "new psychiatry," he claims, is a return to the bad old days when a person enduring a "psychospiritual crisis" (a term Breggin favors over "mental illness") might be sent to a state hospital, where he or she would receive treatment that was degrading and harmful. Nowadays, he says, psychiatrists are in thrall to the pharmaceutical industry; they have lost or never learned the art of the loving, caring, humanistic "talking cure," and are doing more harm than good. Written in an anecdotal style, with case examples, a hefty notes section, and supportive evidence from various sources for his point of view, the book is best suited for the sophisticated general reader. Psychotherapy Book Club selection.
- Marlene Charnizon, formerly with "Library Journal"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A psychiatric reformer takes aim and blasts away with both barrels. Breggin (author of the novels The Crazy from the Sane, 1971, and After the Good War, 1972) launches a full-scale attack on the popular view that neuroses and psychoses are diseases with biochemical and genetic causes best treated by drugs--even by electroshock and incarceration. He advocates not pills but psychotherapy, which ideally provides a ``caring, understanding relationship--made safe by professional ethics and restraint.'' Treating mental disorders as chemical imbalances to be corrected primarily by chemical intervention is, he claims, an outrageous hazard to health, damaging the brains of a high percentage of those subjected to it. Breggin notes that the medical training of today's biopsychiatrists ill-equips them for any other approach: They are taught to make diagnoses and prescribe medical treatments; their communication skills are undeveloped, and they know little about the art of listening to patients' problems. Their penchant for prescribing drugs, according to Breggin, is encouraged by a too-cozy relationship between the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry, which generously funds research into the biochemical and genetic basis of mental disorders, and whose claims for its products are insufficiently scrutinized by either the FDA or the medical profession. Breggin also has harsh words for health insurers that reimburse for drugs and psychiatric hospitalization but not for psychotherapy and social rehabilitation; coming under fire as well are schoolteachers who seek chemical solutions to classroom discipline problems, and parents who are unwilling to accept any blame for the psychological problems of their children. Although Breggin's preference for nonmedical intervention is clear, he remains skeptical about much of what's available today, warning that ``the buyer of psychotherapy must be extremely cautious.'' A one-sided but forceful caveat emptor for anyone seeking mental-health services. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (August 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312113668
• ISBN-13: 978-0312113667
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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100 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Underbelly of Psychiatry, August 23, 2004

By 

Philip Reese (Saint Petersburg, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy and Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock, and Biochemical Theories of the "New Psychiatry" (Paperback)

I enjoying reading this book very, very much. It provides vital information which is needed, but most often excluded by psychiatrists, to make any sort of informed decision in reguard to many psychiatric treatments. This book shows the horrors of psychiatry, from a psychiatrist's viewpoint, this in itself makes for very interesting reading. I found the points made to be logical and truth revealing, not candy coated and over-simplified. For a non-medical book, the points are explained in depth and have been researched from many sources, which are conveniently labled and listed in the back of the book.

I gave this book 5 stars, because even though I don't believe it to be perfect in composition or perfect in ideology, it is so dense with material, that it speaks volumes. So It gets 5 stars, imperfect as it is.

Although I do believe "Toxic Psychiatry" shows a one-sided picture, I believe this does not obscure the point being made; that there is something seriously wrong with psychiatry and how it's methods of treatment are applied. The general prevailing idea of this book is that Pills do not help anybody in finding the reasons for their emotional conditions, they simply make them less able to feel them. Kind of like putting anesthetic on a cut rather than anti-septic.

One thing to keep in mind is that we have all been exposed to countless other one-sided pictures on our tvs, in magazines, on billboards, in pamphlets, and many other places reguarding this subject (incessant advertising). We already know that side. This book fills in the gaping holes and it answers valid questions that aren't even hinted at in those other one-sided pictures we have seen. (How many people do you know that have taken Paxil, only to find out that it can and does cause severe withdrawel after discontinuation? But these people didn't know about that, of course. Their doctors never told them. Some of these people are even told that the withdrawel symptoms are from their "pre-existing condition." I have had family and friends who have had this happen to them. It seems to be more than a coincidence to me. Suffice it to say, it angers me greatly.)

I have seen many 'caring' commercials which prey on people's need for empathy and their willingness to evade blame for their behavior by gently convincing them that they have a horrible biological disorder and that it is easily curable by 'mild' drugs that have 'no' harmful and/or 'no' permanent side effects. (instead of telling them that the research doesn't show that there is a biological disorder, but only a limited success with treating the 'disorder' using biological means [psychotropic drugs] and that there either ARE long term side effects, or that potential long term side effects are unknown but very possible)

Advertising coupled with the eager willingness of many psychiatrists to prescribe psychotropic drugs makes for a very dangerous combination.

There is much deception in psychiatry, from seminars sponsored by large corporations which twist psychiatrists perceptions, to free samples given to psychiatrists which twist their prescription habits, to constant and repetitive advertising by pharmaceautical companies which engrains 'depression' and other illnesses in the minds of those who are subjected to these advertisments. (the prospective customer)

There's one thing I didn't agree with Breggin about, which is his way of practicing psychiatry, which involves only talk and no medication. Sometimes medication is necessary, but only as a very last resort, as it can have some very irreversible effects (not only side effects, but also effects on a person's ability and willingness to control themselves and improve their lives themselves).

This book is a must read, and not just to those who are interested in psychiatry, but to all of those exposed to the advertising of psychotropic drugs.

One must keep in mind that this book should not discourage you from seeking help if you need it. It also should not make you completely anti-drug, but instead more understanding to how they work, so that you can decide what you think is right for yourself, not have that decision made for you even if it's not what's best for you. The decision should be taken very seriously, not casually as those who stand to profit from you would like you to believe.


Now, on a side note, I'll share my experience with psychiatry as one of my reasons for so firmly believing in Peter Breggin's message.

Before I start, I will mention that the conclusions I came to were not made after reading Peter Breggin's book, so do not think they were thought up after reading "Toxic Psychiatry".

I myself have been diagnosed as 'bi-polar' and at one time I believed it myself. I experienced the effects of psychotropic drugs and that of being labeled.

I found myself fitting the role of a bipolar person more after being labeled than before being labeled. I was put on lithium, which made me feel horrible. I researched the drug and I found that the side effects I was having (nausea, lethargy, etc.) were in fact from the drug. I spoke with my psychiatrist reguarding the side effects, not disclosing that I had researched the drug further than the useless pamphlets that I was given, and to my dismay, my psychiatrist told me that the side effects I was having were not side effects of the drug, and that I had improved very much.. Even though the side effects were causing my grades in school to spiral downward very quickly and the drug was affecting every part of my life in a negative way, I had "improved very much".

I have seen the dark side of psychiatry first hand and I can understand Breggin's perspective. I do not trust psychiatry, but I am not completely biased, as I do realize that not all psychiatrists are necessarily just like the psychiatrist that I had. I have been off of any psychotropic drug now for about six years. I received no psychological help and no drugs. I will not lie, I went through hell and back, but I found the causes for my "highs" and for my "lows". I found them to be caused by -real- things that happened to me (yes, real things, not my ' biological brain disorder'), and I have learned to control my emotions. I do not have "highs" or "lows" anymore because I do not have incredible anxiety which spurred on my highs, and I do not have depressive and suicidal thoughts anymore, which spurred on my intense lows. I do, however, live my life passionately and I realize the reason for my passions more now than I ever did before. I don't understand how telling me that I was sick and that my brain was defective, then putting me on drugs that limited my ability to think clearly were supposed to help me. If anything, if I stopped feeling passionately about life and my ability to think clearly was limited, it would've been a tragedy, not a cause for celebration.

This book is a cause for celebration, as it may help those in need actually find the help they need, and maybe they can live without the limits of a chemical straightjacket. (As Breggin puts it)

61 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most shocking books I've ever read, April 27, 2003

By 

J. Powers "zero times infinity" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy and Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock, and Biochemical Theories of the "New Psychiatry" (Paperback)

I was amazed at some responses to this book - it seems many people haven't read this book carefully and are responding more out of passionate beliefs about the use of psychoactive medicines based on their own experiences with them.

This book does not advocate the outright stopping of psychoactive medicines. It points out, through very careful discussion of a huge host of experimental data, case studies, and a wide range of professional opinion (in addition to the author's), that none of the so-called diseases that these medicines supposedly treat has ever been shown to have a biological basis. In fact, this discussion is so complete and convincing that it would seem to be outright denial to argue the opposite, even though that is what the media and numerous "experts" do regularly - many of these so-called experts going so far as to blindly ignore data that they either previously or later agreed did support the opposing viewpoint.

The book then goes on to point out through more careful analysis of a great deal of data that these medicines are all very general and act on large areas of the brain, and do not (and quite frankly can not) treat specific biological problems. They all treat symptoms in a very general sense. Additionally, all of them have severe side effects, and many (if not all) cause permanent brain damage.

This book makes an important point concerning these so-called "diseases of the mind" which bears repeating. People in the throes of these afflictions, or people very close to them, are often suffering so greatly that they want nothing more than to have the symptoms alleviated. It is widely known that a large number of alcohol and drug abusers are simply medicating away their depression, anxiety, or other more extreme form of mental anguish. Should we as a society and as individuals suffering from these afflictions be so ready to accept what amounts to a professionally sanctioned drugging away of these symptoms?

The book does not state, as some people have erroneously suggested, that psychiatric and psychological problems are all rooted in one's childhood, or that one's parents are always to blame. It does, however, suggest and point out through numerous case studies and analysis of data that these problems are almost always due to a personal, mental, family, or spiritual crisis of some kind. It also suggests that developing the will to investigate and ultimately resolve these crises with a competent therapist is almost always preferable to drugging them away, for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that it develops one's sense of personal self-determination and self-knowledge rather than subjecting her or him to a further demoralizing dependence on drugs.

I would suggest suspending judgment and giving this book a careful read. It is easily one of the most disturbing books I have ever read, and is a shocking expose of the abuses of the psychiatric industry for its own gain.

Before jumping to conclusions, ask yourself this: what would this man, a psychiatrist himself, who has been exposing and fighting these abuses for his entire career, have to gain from telling people about the cruelty and pseudo-science that is rampant in the psychiatric profession? And what would the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industry, whose combined economic influence is staggering, and whose gross domestic product probably rivals that of many smaller nations, have to gain from keeping this information out of the media and away from public knowledge?

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incisive Challenge to the Scapegoating of Children, November 14, 2000

By 

Paul Huffington M.D. (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy and Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock, and Biochemical Theories of the "New Psychiatry" (Paperback)

Dr. Breggin's respect for children is evident in his writings. He challenges the current cliches of "chemical imbalance" and "genetic" as being "causes" in the behavior of most children. He offers as an alternative the proven family therapy approach for the child who is "acting out". Working with the entire family, rather than just the "problem" child, often shows that family stresses are acted out by the child in behavior that distrubs others. If this is in fact what is occuring, labelling and medicating the child will only delay addressing the family stressors and fears and unjustly stigmatize the child as "the problem". This scapegoating of the child is undeserved and usually cruel. Dr. Breggin has clearly evaluated our working "theories" and meticulously shown their severe weaknesses and biases. He further shows how compassionate family therapy and non-judgmental education of the family to what is actually happening within it leads to reducing the child's acting out and the proud survivorship of that family as an emotional unit. Our awareness to this problem can only help the child, parents and society. This can be truly a Win-Win-Win situation as we look more carefully at the facts. Congratulations Dr. and Mrs. Breggin for your courage to buck the Establishment and its vested interests and to inform us of the problem and its solutions. Paul Huffington M.D.