Book Review - Your Drug May Be Your Problem

This book (copyright 1999: DaCapo Press, Cambridge, MA) was written by Dr Peter R. Breggin and Dr. David Cohen. Breggin is a psychiatrist in full time practice since 1968. He is a well known critic of biological psychiatry, including medication and shock therapy. He is the founder and director of the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology and has taught at Harvard Medical School and John Hopkins University. Cohen is Professor of social work at Florida International University. As an independent drug scholar he has served as a consultant and testified before state legislatures and in court proceedings on the adverse effects of psychotropic drugs. He is Senior Editor of Ethical Human Sciences and Associate Editor of Journal of Mind and Behavior.

It is not uncommon today to turn on your television and see ad after ad by drug companies promoting a new, safer drug for the treatment of anxiety and depression. These ads claim that all depression is caused by a "chemical imbalance". Need more energy? Take a drug. Not feeling focused? Take a drug. Stressed, depressed, and not sleeping? Take a drug. Children not behaving or doing well in school? Give them a drug. The authors of this book spend a great deal of time pointing out that many people today are not dealing with the problems that cause these issues. They are simply drugging the effects.

The book begins by making the bold statement, "Biochemical imbalances are the only diseases spread by word of mouth' (p.6). They challenge the reader to ask himself if their problems are caused by a brain dysfunction or "by conflicts in the home, at work, or in society, painful life experiences, confused values, a lack of direction, or other aspects of human life" (p6). After agreeing that drugs do affect mental processes they then ask the question, "Should they be prescribed as treatments?" (p13).

The entire book is aimed at making us aware of the inherent dangers in taking psychotropic drugs - what it does to our thinking processes, what it does to us physically and what dangerous, and even life threatening, side effects these drugs have. The authors seek to clarify media promoted myths and to offer an alternative to taking drugs: talk therapy. They also give advice on how to withdraw from psychiatric drugs. They are especially critical of children being given any type of psychiatric drug - especially Ritalin.

Chapter 1 gives case studies of people who were prescribed psychiatric drugs and found it very easy to become dependent on them but very hard to stop. Many of them had horrific side effects, including increased depression and a general lack of vitality and the ability to think clearly. Chapter 2 discusses from a medical and academic perspective the myth of chemical imbalances. This entire philosophy is based on conjecture and, since it is illegal to perform the necessary tests, has never been proven to be true in human brains. All researchers know is that drugs alter brain function. The rest is hypothesis.

Chapters 3 and 4 give drug by drug descriptions of the side effects of psychiatric drugs. Many people are given new drugs to help with the sleeplessness or mood crashing caused by the drugs they are prescribed. Dosages are routinely increased to cure problems that are caused by introducing the drug or withdrawing from it.

Chapter 5 begins laying a foundation for the cessation of drug use by giving alternative approaches for finding emotional healing. Chapter 6 explains why doctors do not know about the harmful side effects of the drugs they prescribe and why they are often reluctant to tell patients that there may be serious side effects.

Chapters 7, 8 and 9 tell the reader how to withdraw from psychiatric drugs, and what to expect. The public is unaware that many of these drugs create serious dependency and have horrific withdrawal effects. Chapter 10 is devoted entirely to helping children withdraw from psychiatric drugs.

Chapters 11 and 12 are directed to therapists. Many therapists are afraid to speak out against psychiatric drugs for fear of being blacklisted with their circle of associations. They are also afraid of lawsuits if something happens to a patient who is off their medication. In reality, most lawsuits stem from psychiatrists who have damaged their patients with drugs (p197). Chapter 13 gives 12 principles for helping yourself to deal with problems apart from taking drugs.

In conclusion, this book is an alarming, disturbing and often scary description of what is really happening to many people today. Convinced by drug companies who are spending millions of dollars to promote their products, overworked doctors are prescribing record numbers of medications to people. While wanting to help them, they may be doing them greater harm. To read this book is to become aware of the horrendous side effects and the possible risk of lifelong disability.

One thing I appreciated that was continually repeated by the authors: the decision to stop taking psychiatric drugs should not be taken lightly. Depending on how long a person has been on certain medications, the process can be a long (up to a year) and painful process. Also, this book was not meant to be read in parts. To gain the maximum benefit and the full impact of this book it must be read in its entirety.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is or who knows someone who is on psychiatric medications, especially children. Even if you do not agree with the authors' premises and conclusions, you need to know everything you can about what you are taking.