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Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America
This book is in a Controlled Release!
1 journaler for this copy...
Arrived from bn.com a few days ago.
This is one of the most important books I have ever read. I knew when I read a review of it recently that I had to have it NOW so I ordered it, hard cover and all. I was right to be excited.
Robert Whitaker reviews the scientific literature for information on the efficacy of psych meds for use in schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bipolar illness, and ADHD. What he finds, after exhaustive searches, is that these medicines tend to worsen patients' conditions over the long term, with a horrifying number permanently disabled and unable to take care of themselves. Further, the literature increasingly makes clear that the majority of ill persons who overcome their illnesses and successfully return to society (and hold jobs) are those who never took medication or withdrew from it in time.
He then visits institutions where different types of treatment are in use, and finds remarkable success stories when the meds are only used when less extreme measures do not help. In all of these cases the end goal is for the patient to be off meds and functioning successfully in life. To me, the most interesting story is about an institution in Lapland, Finland, where psychotic members of the community are brought into meetings with doctors and the patients' family and friends, and where the doctors listen. Whitaker himself was unable to describe in detail how this treatment works but it is clear that it does, and that as the community became familiar with it the incidents of new cases of schizophrenia decreased markedly because families are happy to take their loved ones into the clinic early on, to treat initial episodes of psychotic breakdowns before they turn into schizophrenia.
He also visits a treatment center for chronically difficult children, where getting the children off meds and into their own lives again is the aim. The results are astonishing.
The message, to me, is that we do have control of our minds, that we should never give over our treatment to others and be passive. Further, the message about our psychiatric associations is one of great caution. While many doctors are well-meaning and do not deliberately mislead us, we may discover that they too are deceived by the articles they read and the stories they hear at conventions. They may believe that experiments that show short-term success with a drug means that it will be successful long-term too, because they have not been exposed to any of the long-term studies.
It is time, says Whitaker, for the psychiatric profession to be honest with us. Don't say these illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances when there is no proof that this is so, and in fact the meds cause chemical imbalances, which in some cases become permanent brain damage.
Of special value to me is the bibliography at the end of the book and the fact that these references can also be found, some of them in their entirety, on Whitaker's website: http://www.robertwhitaker.org
Robert Whitaker reviews the scientific literature for information on the efficacy of psych meds for use in schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bipolar illness, and ADHD. What he finds, after exhaustive searches, is that these medicines tend to worsen patients' conditions over the long term, with a horrifying number permanently disabled and unable to take care of themselves. Further, the literature increasingly makes clear that the majority of ill persons who overcome their illnesses and successfully return to society (and hold jobs) are those who never took medication or withdrew from it in time.
He then visits institutions where different types of treatment are in use, and finds remarkable success stories when the meds are only used when less extreme measures do not help. In all of these cases the end goal is for the patient to be off meds and functioning successfully in life. To me, the most interesting story is about an institution in Lapland, Finland, where psychotic members of the community are brought into meetings with doctors and the patients' family and friends, and where the doctors listen. Whitaker himself was unable to describe in detail how this treatment works but it is clear that it does, and that as the community became familiar with it the incidents of new cases of schizophrenia decreased markedly because families are happy to take their loved ones into the clinic early on, to treat initial episodes of psychotic breakdowns before they turn into schizophrenia.
He also visits a treatment center for chronically difficult children, where getting the children off meds and into their own lives again is the aim. The results are astonishing.
The message, to me, is that we do have control of our minds, that we should never give over our treatment to others and be passive. Further, the message about our psychiatric associations is one of great caution. While many doctors are well-meaning and do not deliberately mislead us, we may discover that they too are deceived by the articles they read and the stories they hear at conventions. They may believe that experiments that show short-term success with a drug means that it will be successful long-term too, because they have not been exposed to any of the long-term studies.
It is time, says Whitaker, for the psychiatric profession to be honest with us. Don't say these illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances when there is no proof that this is so, and in fact the meds cause chemical imbalances, which in some cases become permanent brain damage.
Of special value to me is the bibliography at the end of the book and the fact that these references can also be found, some of them in their entirety, on Whitaker's website: http://www.robertwhitaker.org
loaned to marymat several days ago. She's got it on her TBR shelf, will return when done.
The book was returned, is now back on my shelf. Funny thing - I forgot I had read this and I ordered -and read - another copy!
Sent to Better World Books as a donation.
