Peter Breggin
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Peter R. Breggin, M.D. began private practice in the field of psychiatry in 1968, and is now in full-time private practice in Bethesda, Maryland, where he treats children, adults and families. Dr. Breggin is most well known as a leading critic of biological psychiatry, and as the author of Toxic Psychiatry, Talking Back to Ritalin, and Talking Back to Prozac.
Dr. Breggin is among the world's foremost critics of psychiatric drugs, and an advocate for psychological and social human services. Breggin's credentials are questioned by some of his critics, as he as never passed the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology examination. Though not a requirement in Maryland, certification by this board is attained by most psychiatrists in the US. His report was tossed out by a court, confirmed on appeal, because "his methodologies weren't only extrapolations but 'a biased guess,' [1] (http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1114679112406).
For over three decades, Dr. Breggin has campaigned against the myriad dangers of psychoactive drugs, electroshock, psychosurgery, coercive involuntary treatment, and biological theories of psychiatry. Breggin has scorned the pharmaceutical industry for propagating disinformation, alleging drug companies have built largely fabricated markets by relentlessly spreading a false message that only good can ensue from psychiatric drug treatment. Throughout this period, Dr. Breggin has served as a medical expert in both civil and criminal suits, including individual malpractice cases and product liability litigation against the manufacturers of psychiatric drugs. He has not clearly answered the question of choice for patients. Should patients who want biological treatments have that choice for themselves? Prior to the discovery of insulin, the "psychosocial" treatment of diabetes was starvation. Why not return to that more natural treatment as well? It remains an option for diabetics who choose, why not take insulin off the market?
Dr. Breggin's work provided the scientific basis for the original combined Prozac suits, for the more recent Ritalin class action suits, (all dismissed with nasty comments about Bregggin's credibility by the Judges) and for label changes in many psychiatric drugs. Indeed, all doctors have an implied duty to report new adverse drug reactions to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) MedWatch [2] (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/), prompting frequent and common label changes. This reporting system is also open to any user of medication, families. Drug manufacturers representatives pursue busy doctors to fill out FDA forms, to fulfill this duty. These label changes serve the drug maker's legal interest by providing proper warning in the revised package insert. During the era of medication free psychiatry, prior to the 1950's, people spent years in asylums, waiting for the spontaneous remission of their episodic symptoms. An example of consequences possibly attributable to the discontinuation of medication is the murders committed by Andrea Yates of her own children. [3] (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/06/children.drowned/index.html).
Since 1964 Dr. Breggin has published many peer-reviewed articles and medical books in his subspecialty of clinical psychopharmacology, and has authored dozens of scientific articles and nineteen professional books. A search of "Breggin" on Medline [4] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi) reveals mostly comments, a few peer reviewed articles, decades ago. Recent articles are in his peer reviewed journal. Many of his published works deal with psychiatric medication, the FDA and drug approval process, the evaluation of clinical trials, and standards of care in psychiatry and related fields. He has not posted the list of all the lawsuits in which he has testified, in any readily available location, the fees he charges, which suits were won, lost, and various remarks made about him by judges, some quoted by commentators.[5] (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,32794,00.html) and [6] (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62922,00.html).
In 1972, Breggin founded The International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology (ICSPP), a nonprofit research and educational network. The Center is dedicated to shedding light upon the impact of mental health theory and practices upon individual well-being, personal freedom, and family and community values. He also founded the peer-review journal, Ethical Human Sciences and Services.
Dr. Breggin's background includes Harvard College, Case Western Reserve Medical School, a teaching fellowship at Harvard Medical School, a two-year staff appointment to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and a faculty appointment to the Johns Hopkins University Department of Counseling.
Breggin has withstood unmerited criticism for alleged links to Scientology, which he has refuted, and for direct quotes from literature he has authored, perhaps most nobably comments pertaining to inevitable childhood sexual inquisitiveness in 'The Psychology of Freedom' (pp. 207-209). "... a variety of sexual encounters between small children, typically aged four or five, which are recalled as purely enjoyable experiences between friendly and sometimes loving partners." "... permitting children to have sex among themselves would go a long way toward liberating them from oppressive parental authoriy. This is the main reason that parents fight so hard to prevent sex between children. Sexual freedom would allow their children to become truly independent of them."
See also
- Anti-psychiatry
- Chemical imbalance theory
- Iatrogenesis
- New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
- Texas Medication Algorithm Project
External links
- ABPN.com (http://www.abpn.com/geninfo/) - American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc.
- AntiPsychiatry.org (http://www.antipsychiatry.org/) - The Antipsychiatry Coalition
- Breggin.com (http://www.breggin.com/) - Dr. Breggin's homepage
- Faegre.com (http://www.faegre.com/articles/article_1099.aspx) - 'Lessons From the Ritalin Class Action Victories' (Interview of James O'Neal, former defense counsel for Ritalin manufacturer)
- ICSPP.org (http://www.icspp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=55) - International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology
- MedKB.com (http://www.medkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/alternative/989/Breggin-revealed) - 'Breggin Revealed' (Medical Knowledgebase forum thread)
- Quackwatch.com (http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/breggin.html) - 'Some Notes on ADHD and Peter R. Breggin's Unfair Attack on Ritalin', Stephen Barrett, MD (September 23, 2002)
