“Understanding the hazards associated with long-term exposure to psychiatric drugs is very important but rarely emphasized in the scientific literature and clinical practice. drawing on the scientific literature and clinical experience, the author describes the syndrome of chronic brain impairment (cbi) which can be caused by any trauma to the brain including traumatic brain injury (tbi), electroconvulsive therapy (ect), and long-term exposure to psychiatric medications. knowledge of the syndrome should enable clinicians to more easily identify long-term adverse effects caused by psychiatric drugs while enabling researchers to approach the problem with a more comprehensive understanding of the common elements of brain injury as they are manifested after long-term exposure to psychiatric medications. treatment options are also discussed.”

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The newer antidepressants frequently cause suicide, violence, and manic-like symptoms of activation or overstimulation, presenting serious hazards to active-duty soldiers who carry weapons under stressful conditions. these antidepressant-induced symptoms of activation can mimic posttraumatic stress disorder and are likely to worsen this common disorder in soldiers, increasing the hazard when they are prescribed to military personnel. antidepressants should not be prescribed to soldiers during or after deployment.

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“Psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry now dominate the mental health field. even humanistic and existential therapists are likely to refer difficult or disturbed clients to physicians, especially psychiatrists, for possible medication. the prevailing professional tendency is to conceptualize the conflict between psychotherapy and drug treatment as a scientific one; but it is at root a conflict between two different views of human nature. we need to renew our faith in the psychiatric drug-free human being in both our personal and professional lives.”

“Why do so many individuals persist in taking psychoactive substances, including psychiatric drugs, after adverse mental and behavioral effects have become severe and even disabling? the author has previously proposed the brain-disabling principle of psychiatric treatment that all somatic psychiatric treatments impair the function of the brain and mind. intoxication anosognosia (medication spellbinding) is an expression of this drug-induced mental disability. intoxication anosognosia causes the victim to underestimate the degree of drug-induced mental impairment, to deny the harmful role that the drug plays in the person’s altered state, and in many cases compel the individual to mistakenly believe that he or she is functioning better. in the extreme, the individual displays out-of-character compulsively destructive behaviors, including violence toward self and others.”

“Pregnant mothers should avoid taking ssri antidepressants—they are hazardous to the developing fetus, cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn baby, and induce biochemical and morphological abnormalities in the brain. if pregnant mothers need help with sad or anxious feelings, they should seek counseling or psychotherapy, especially family therapy involving the child’s father, as well as other sources of emotional support.”

“Based on the author’s extensive clinical, forensic and research experience, this article addresses the scientific and moral question of whether it is ever in the best interests of a child to be given a psychiatric drug. the focus is on the diagnosis attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) and stimulant drugs, and on the diagnosis bipolar disorder and antipsychotic (neuroleptic) drugs. the conclusion is that we should work towards a prohibition against giving psychiatric drugs to children, and instead focus on safe and effective alternative ways of meeting the needs of children within their families, schools and society. © 2014 john wiley & sons ltd and national children’s bureau.”

“Germa n psychia trists proposed the extermi nati on of me nta l patie nts befo re hitte r came to power. t he n in nazi germany, o rganized psychi atry im pl emented invo luntary e uge nical sterilizatio n and eutha nas ia , ult imate ly ki lling up to 100000 g erman me ntal pat ients. t he six psychiat ric e uthanasia cente rs utilized medica l professionals, fa ke death certificates, gas chambers disguised as showers, and the mass bu rn ing o f co rpses. psychiatrists from the e uthanasia program a lso part icipated in th e first fo rmalized murde rs in the co ncentrat ion ca mps. inm ates were ‘ d iagnosed’ o n eutha nasia forms and sent to the psychi atric e uth anasia cente rs. t hese facilities late r provided th e trai ni ng, person ne l a nd technology for the large r extermination camps. medica l observe rs fro m the united states a nd ge rma ny at th e nurembe rg tri a ls concluded tha t tbe ho locaust might no t have taken place witho ut psychi atry. this pa per summ arizes psychiatric pa rticipa-tion in events lead ing to th e holoca ust, a nd a na lyzes th e underlying psychia tric prin ciples th at a nticipa ted, encouraged, and paved th e way fo r the nazi extermin ation program. psychiatry played a key role in the events that unfolded in nazi germa ny leading up to the mass murder of the jews and other groups considered alien to the german state. according to many observe rs at the nuremberg trials, psychiatry was the ‘entering wedge’ [1] in to the holocaust and the tragedy might not have taken place withou t the profession’s active leadership. t his paper summarizes psychia try’s role and attempts to answer the question, ‘ what psychiatric principles could have led to these abuses?’ correspondence to : pe ter bregg in, m.d., 4628 chestnut street, be thesda, md 20814, usa.”

“The criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder focus on behaviors that adults find frustrating and disruptive. conflicts between chlidren and adults are redefined as diseases or disorders within the children. treatment with stimulant drugs such as methylphenidate (ritalin) will produce greater docility in any child (or animal) without actually improving conduct or academic performance. parents are not informed thay they are trading behavioral control for toxic drug effects. the label adhd is attached to children who are in reality deprived or appropriate adult attention. these children require improved adult attention to their basic needs.”

“Electroconvulsive therapy (ect) and the machines that deliver it have never been tested for safety and efficacy in order to receive approval from the food and drug administration (fda). the american psychiatric association and ect advocates protested when the fda took steps to classify the machines as posing ‘an unreasonable risk of illness or injury,’ which would have required their testing before approval. without requiring this testing, the fda is now preparing to classify the treatment and the machines as safe. this article reviews evidence demonstrating that ect is very harmful to the brain and mind and concludes that the fda should demand the usual testing required before psychiatric treatments and machines are approved for marketing and use.”