A brief introduction to the work of Dr. Peter R. Breggin. We are grateful for his efforts to protect children's health.

Children's Issues in Psychiatry

Of all the harmful actions of modern psychiatry, the mass diagnosing and drugging of children is the most appalling with the most serious consequences for the future of individual lives and for society.

Dr. Breggin

Dr. Peter Breggin.

As the drug companies and organized psychiatry have sought larger markets and greater profits, children have come under extensive precision targeting from the psychopharmaceutical complex. The first great assault took place in the form of diagnosing children with ADHD and then medicating them with stimulant drugs. Soon millions of children were defined as mentally dysfunctional or defective and were submitted to brain-damaging psychoactive medications.

Many drug-treated children will suffer from irreversible brain changes that hamper their mental life. In the case of stimulants, many will have their growth stunted and become prone to cocaine addiction in young adulthood. As a result of neuroleptics like Zyprexa®, Risperdal® and Abilify®, many will suffer from development delays and from tardive dyskinesia with its irreversible abnormal movements that impair and stigmatize them. Dr. Breggin has evaluated dozens of children in his practice who have developed tardive dyskinesia from the newer antipsychotic drugs.

Download: Psychiatric Drugs and Your Child

Dr. Peter R. Breggin, is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and former full-time consultant at NIMH. He is in private practice in Ithaca, New York, and the author of dozens of scientific articles and more than twenty books. Throughout his career, Dr. Breggin has been especially concerned about the psychiatric abuse of children and the failure to provide more effective solutions through improved parenting, educational reform and community resources. He does consultations in the field of clinical psychopharmacology and is a medical expert in criminal, malpractice and product liability suits.

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Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal - Warning

Most psychiatric drugs can cause withdrawal reactions, sometimes including life-threatening emotional and physical withdrawal problems. In short, it is not only dangerous to start taking psychiatric drugs, it can also be dangerous to stop them. Withdrawal from psychiatric drugs should be done carefully under experienced clinical supervision. Methods for safely withdrawing from psychiatric drugs are discussed in Dr. Breggin's book, Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients, and Their Families.

Nothing in the field of mental health will do more good and reduce more harm than encouraging withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. The time is past when the focus in mental health was on what drugs to take for what disorders. Now we need to focus on how to stop taking psychiatric drugs and to replace them with more person-centered, empathic approaches. The goal is no longer drug maintenance and stagnation; the goal is recovery and achieving well-being.

Dr. Breggin continues to devote a considerable amount of time and energy to stopping the psychiatric drugging of children and to offering better alternatives through improved family life, education, and community. He critiques the medication and diagnosing of children (most especially the diagnosing of ADHD) and offers better approaches.

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