Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Polemic about Psychiatric Fraud
Review: .
Breggin's bottom line is that psychiatric patients are treated as objects, not people, by their modern-day psychiatric caretakers. The motive is greed, as pharmaceutical corporations reap profits by exaggerating the benefits of drug therapy and by failing to warn consumers of the damaging effects of psychotropic drugs: shrinkage of the brain and tardive dyskinesia (long-lasting or permanent nerve damage resembling Parkinson's disease).Incidentally, the drugs also harmfully reduce the body's natural testosterone levels, and testosterone is necessary for critical thinking. Prescribed "side-affects" medications are also a fraud, as they do NOT prevent shrinkage of the brain, tardive dyskinesia OR any of the other side effects! The drugs eliminate a patient's free will and creative thinking processes. By eliminating the patient's free will, the psychiatrist is able to manipulate and exploit the patient for his/her own economic gain. Breggin points out how the "twin studies," used to justify treatment of so-called schizophrenia with neuroleptic drugs, is flawed: that the shrinkage of brains of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia was most probably the result of at least ten years of treatment with massive doses of neuroleptic drugs and shock therapy. In other words, the drugs CAUSED the brain damage. Psychiatrists have TOO MUCH unbridled power. Breggin points out that no other profession, indeed no other person, in Western society can exert such personal power over clients or consumers by FORCING patients into treatment on the ground that they are in need of it. Because virtually ALL hospitalized psychiatric patients, whether violent or not, are placed in LOCKED psychiatric wards and FORCED into electroshock treatments or to comply with drug therapy, many people resultantly are hesitant to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist for ANY reason. Most mental illnesses are probably caused by parental neglect or viruses during infancy and childhood. Other likely causes of psychosis are peer abuse [scapegoating] and aberrant pyschological conditioning methods utilized by military drill instructors to DESENSITIZE recruits. Other causes, which Breggin does not mention are anesthesias, including ETHER, traditionally administered during early childhood surgical procedures, such as circumcision, hernia repair, a tonsilectomy. I KNOW from personal experience that ETHER used medically as an anesthesia during surgery can cause at least temporary, if not permanent brain damage, including chronic daydreaming and long-lasting childhood hallucinations. It is my own opinon that the psychological shock a child experiences during circumcision and other childhood surgeries is traumatic enough to be a precipitating factor in behavior later diagnosed as attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia or post traumatic stress syndrome. Breggin believes that the ONLY SANE PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT would be an emotionally supportive therapist whom the patient can trust. I agree with him. However, because present-day laws enable a psychiatrist to violate a psychiatric patient's privacy, by requiring him/her to report confidential dialogue to the police authorities, NO patient can trust a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist with confidential information. As a result, unscrupulous psychiatrists can literally destroy you merely by exaggerating or twisting your own words on a medical evaluation. Totalitarian-like laws make it difficult, if not impossible, for a patient to obtain accurate copies of his or her psychiatric records. Breggin's book is a must for anyone trying to deal with the legal aspects of forced psychiatric treatment.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent book Exposing the Truth
Review: After my own negative brush with the mental health system, it is wonderful to find out that a doctor with twenty-five years of experience is not afraid to be different and stand up and tell the truth about the drugs, electroshock, and other dehumanizing, fraudulent "treatments" of so-called "mental illnesses", and about the inappropriate influence that the drug companies have on these "treatments". As someone who knows what it feels like to have these drugs in her body and mind, Breggin's words confirmed something that I have suspected for a long time: Often, they are prescribed not for the patient's best interests, but to make the doctor's job easier. A drugged-up or shock-fried robot is much easier to care for and tolerate than a normal, functioning human being with needs and emotions. These drugs do not make a sad person happy, an angry victim any less outraged, a frightened person any less terrified, all they do is keep emotions suppressed, so that it looks like they're not there, but believe me, they are. The drugs just keep the person from visibly expressing them, thus the "zombielike" state that many psychiatric survivors talk about. Believe me that is the worst feeling one can ever have, to be emotionless. I'd rather lay in bed all day and bawl than ever feel like that again. What I found especially interesting was Dr. Breggin's exposing of how studies done on schizophrenics and those with depression are often distorted to make it seem more like these "illnesses" are biological, regardless of what the childhoods or home lives of the individuals in the study were like. One of the studies mentioned, the Genain quadruplets, is an especially horrifying account of how even the most terribly abused and neglected children can be slapped with labels, and their pain and anger chalked up to nothing more than a "sick brain." Anyone considering therapy should read this book before doing so. The hints on choosing a therapist are good guidelines to follow, considering how dangerous it can be to involve yourself with psychiatry. It is so easy to have your feelings, emotions, beliefs, personality traits, and objections to medication labeled as products of a "sick brain" that "doesn't know its sick" to justify forced treatment. Breggin's words and the truth in much of what he writes hit very close to home for me, and will for many others. Do thousands of psychiatric survivors who have united to let the public know how degrading and damaging psychiatric treatments are merely have "sick brains" that don't know what they are talking about? Somehow, after my experiences and reading this book, I don't think so.
Rating: 
Summary: Very ignorant and one-sided
Review: As people continue to search for reasons of mental illness, more and more begin to turn to biopsychiatry for answers. Biopsychiatry is the idea that all mental illness is genetic or physical in nature and can be treated simply with drugs. Biopsychiatry does not accept that psychological disorders may be caused by emotional disturbances and certainly does not leave room for any amount of psychoanalysis, or "talking therapy." Dr. Peter Breggin argues that this toxic psychiatry does not cure any mental illnesses; rather the psychiatrist turns the patient into a victim. He effectively shows how these drugs are only short-term solutions to a much deeper problem. The effects of these psycho-pharmaceuticals are not only deceiving, but also outright dangerous and brain damaging. Breggin effectively shows how the "New Psychiatry" must be replaced by therapy, empathy, and love.
Breggin argues against this "New Psychiatry" in four main arenas. He challenges the biopsychiatric views of schizophrenic overwhelm and its treatment with neuroleptic drugs, depressive and manic-depressive overwhelm and antidepressants, and anxiety overwhelm and minor tranquilizers. He also touches on the plight of women, children, and the homeless as well as the psycho-pharmaceutical complex. Biopsychiatry considers each of the above diseases, genetic or physical in nature, just a few crossed wires in the brain. Biopsychiatrists claim each may be treated with FDA-approved drugs or even electroshock. Breggin provides strong evidence, researched by several respected psychiatrists as well as himself, that show these drugs merely blunt the ability of the mind to feel emotion, basically producing a chemical lobotomy. Other risks have been found such as brain shrinkage, violent behavior, and memory loss. Studies are cited that prove electroshock melts the brain as well as causing seizures that would otherwise be considered a medical emergency. After reading several journal articles on this topic, I have seen the same effects of the drugs described over and over again, which lends confirmation to Breggin's arguments. Several studies are mentioned that may, if looked at in full, disprove his thesis, however he provides many studies and evidence to show that the studies were improperly performed or interpreted. The psycho-pharmaceutical complex is also an intriguing argument, showing the connection between drug companies and the psychiatrists recommending their drugs.
Breggin is not arguing for the complete disuse of psychiatric drugs in our society, but for a lessening and only voluntary use. He does not disagree with the idea that these drugs may help in the short-term (a week or so). His arguments about the damage drugs and electroshock cause are clearly written and logically strong. His look into the world of pharmaceutical companies is truly and eye opening. Although psychiatry is supposedly in the business of helping people, it seems they more often than not are causing harm. And according to C.S. Lewis, "Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive."
Rating: 
Summary: The fringe of psychiatry
Review: Before I criticize this book, it should be said that Breggin really seems to care about psychiatry and wants to help people. That said, this book is a little bit loony- Breggin has taken such an extreme stance against biochemical treatment of mental illness that he almost can't be taken seriously. He's so far from objective, that eventually the discerning reader may just stop listening. I suppose people should read this book anyway, as it may change their perspective a bit. I just think Breggin would be more credible if he didn't force his way into such a ridiculously extreme position. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".
Rating: 
Summary: Classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater...
Review: Dr. Breggin makes a lot of important points about the ways in which pharmacology industry effectively controls much of modern psychiatry. "Biologically-based brain disease" has become an unexamined mantra among psychiatrists, the health care industry, and even the media and advocacy organizations. The "disease" model avoids difficult questions about why a person became mentally ill, and whether a lifestyle change or change in environment might contribute to his or her recovery. Mental illness is simply the product of a malfunctioning--as opposed to confused or suffering--brain, and if the patient accepts their sickness and takes the right pill, all will be well. Breggin destroys much of the good in his book by carrying his argument to the point of self-parody. Persons tormented by voices ordering them to kill themselves and visions of bloody body parts are simply suffering from social-religious crisis, and need compassion and acceptance, not drugs to control these symptoms--essentially claiming that their suffering makes them who they are. Likewise, persons suffering from malignant, suicidal depression simply need some compassion and CBT, and they'll be just fine. Antidepressants not only don't work, they cause brain damage, lead people to murder and suicide, and have other horrible side-effects too numerous to list. I have a background in psychopharmacology, and am nauseated by the way in which the pharmaceutical industry has concealed the serious side effects of SSRI's and the terrible withdrawl symptoms experienced by many Paxil and Effexor users. I am also angry that in promoting these new drugs they engaged in a smear campaign against the older MAOI and TCA antidepressants, which have not only been proven more effective for serious depression, but often have milder side effects as well (depending on the patient, of course). That said, much of what Breggin says about psychotropics is rubbish. He presents all psychiatric drugs as dangerous brain-damaging poisons that have no legitimate use. At present, we really know very little about the long-term effects of these drugsLike all drugs--they might be harmful, or they might not. For people who really need them, however, they have saved countless lives, and made it possible for many people crippled by illness to reenter society and find life worth living again. It's hard to forgive Breggin using his moral authority as a physician to essentially deny the severity of diseases that kill thousands each year. The most severe forms of mental illness are terminal if untreated. Psychotherapy is often the best tool for long term improvement and change, but one can't simply talk away mania, a suicidal depressive spiral, or psychosis. Often a patient's life depends on being able to control life-threatening symptoms. Psychiatric drugs don't cure anything, but they can save lives and help the emotionally crippled gain some pleasure from life. Dr. Breggin simply appears to have no conception of what severe mental illness is.
Rating:
Summary: Classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater...
Review: Dr. Breggin makes a lot of important points about the ways in which pharmacology industry effectively controls much of modern psychiatry. "Biologically-based brain disease" has become an unexamined mantra among psychiatrists, the health care industry, and even the media and advocacy organizations. The "disease" model avoids difficult questions about why a person became mentally ill, and whether a lifestyle change or change in environment might contribute to his or her recovery. Mental illness is simply the product of a malfunctioning--as opposed to confused or suffering--brain, and if the patient accepts their sickness and takes the right pill, all will be well. Breggin destroys much of the good in his book by carrying his argument to the point of self-parody. Persons tormented by voices ordering them to kill themselves and visions of bloody body parts are simply suffering from social-religious crisis, and need compassion and acceptance, not drugs to control these symptoms--essentially claiming that their suffering makes them who they are. Likewise, persons suffering from malignant, suicidal depression simply need some compassion and CBT, and they'll be just fine. Antidepressants not only don't work, they cause brain damage, lead people to murder and suicide, and have other horrible side-effects too numerous to list. I have a background in psychopharmacology, and am nauseated by the way in which the pharmaceutical industry has concealed the serious side effects of SSRI's and the terrible withdrawl symptoms experienced by many Paxil and Effexor users. I am also angry that in promoting these new drugs they engaged in a smear campaign against the older MAOI and TCA antidepressants, which have not only been proven more effective for serious depression, but often have milder side effects as well (depending on the patient, of course). That said, much of what Breggin says about psychotropics is rubbish. He presents all psychiatric drugs as dangerous brain-damaging poisons that have no legitimate use. At present, we really know very little about the long-term effects of these drugsLike all drugs--they might be harmful, or they might not. For people who really need them, however, they have saved countless lives, and made it possible for many people crippled by illness to reenter society and find life worth living again. It's hard to forgive Breggin using his moral authority as a physician to essentially deny the severity of diseases that kill thousands each year. The most severe forms of mental illness are terminal if untreated. Psychotherapy is often the best tool for long term improvement and change, but one can't simply talk away mania, a suicidal depressive spiral, or psychosis. Often a patient's life depends on being able to control life-threatening symptoms. Psychiatric drugs don't cure anything, but they can save lives and help the emotionally crippled gain some pleasure from life. Dr. Breggin simply appears to have no conception of what severe mental illness is.
Rating:
Summary: The Dark Underbelly of Psychiatry
Review: 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 passions, they simply make you less able to feel them.
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.
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, this 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most shocking books I've ever read
Review: 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?
Rating:
Summary: Need both the left and the right hands to shoot an arrow.
Review: I'm a firm believer, from personal experience, that mental illnesses are caused by biochemical imbalances in the brain, although hormones in the body also play a part (hormones are neurotransmitters). Stress also makes the situation much worse. ...True, drugs can contribute to the problem, but if the right drugs are used, they contribute to the solution. No drug therapy, by itself, is therapy. One must also engage in some sort of psychotherapy (I also recommend mediation and yoga and other forms of spiritual practice). Without the right drugs, your brain is in no position to benefit from therapy, but drugs are not sufficient.
Rating:
Summary: Some valid points, but ultimately wrong
Review: The author states that mental illness - even schizophrenia - are the result of emotional conflicts and are not physical in origin, and that they should all be treated by Freudian psychotherapy. Beggin marshalls some sobering arguments about the dangers of psychiatric drugs (especially neuroleptics like Risperidal and Thorazine) and the role the pharmacuetical industry plays in swaying the medical establishment toward drug treatments. But in the end, I don't find Beggin's arguments to be totally correct. For starters, I have obsessive-compulsive disorder (a disease that author blames on the victim's refusal to deal with repressed memories and traumas, but mainstream medicine blames on a basal ganglia malfunction in the brain), and I simultaneously have symptoms of Tourette's Syndrome (stuttering, tics, speech pathologies) - and not only I, but many OCD victims have these same overlapping symptoms. If OCD is a purely emotional disease, then why do so many of us have neurological problems? Did my father's aloofness make me CLUMSY and mess up my speech as well as my emotions? Beggin also fails to address the fact that psychologists themselves have inflicted severe trauma on neurological patients by refusing to acknowledge that their patients suffered from a physical disease. "Stuttering" is a prime example of psychoanalysis gone bad - psychoanalysts tried to treat those with speech impediments for decades without the slightest bit of success before finally begrudgingly handing the baton to neuroscience. As a result, genuinely effective treatments for stuttering, based purely on neurology (like the use of audio feedback devices), was held back for the better part of the 20th century. Surely, Beggin can acknowledge that his own school has dropped the ball on more than one occasion. (Interestingly, autism, which psychoanalysts also botched, is missing from Beggin's book as well. One might forgive the omission of a minor disorder like Stuttering, but to leave out a mental disorder as widespread and catastrophic as AUTISM? One gets the impression Beggin isn't putting all his cards on the table.) The assertion that schizophrenia is not a physical disease and can be cured through emotional support also seems to be a stretch. I know a schizophrenic who started attending a fundamentalist Baptist church and found as good a support structure as one is apt to find - and then he stopped taking his meds and within a week heard God telling him to break the statues at the local Catholic parish. I think a better approach is advocated by Jeffrey Schwartz in "Brain Lock" and "The Mind and the Brain." The inner life of a person can affect their brain functioning - Schwartz himself believes that OCD and other mental illnesses are biological, but can be ameliorated through non-pharmacuetical therapy that aims at retraining the brain's functioning. Beggin raises concerns that deserve a hearing, but his all-or-nothing approach is dishonest in view of psychoanalysis' own failures with neurological syndromes such as Tourette's, Stuttering, and Autism and offers no improvements over the failed paradigms of the past.
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