Tag: psychotropic drugging

A Dose of Sanity: Mind, Medicine, and Misdiagnosis

Written by AbleChild on August 9, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Sydney Walker once again draws on his decades of experience to shine light on psychiatry’s over-reliance on psychiatric labels in this book. He explains how psychiatrists and mental health professionals have become accustomed to running down a list of symptoms and throwing a label on their patients. Instead, mental health professionals need to do further investigation to find if there are any underlying medical issues causing these symptoms, whether it’s hyperactivity, memory loss or depression. As a result of this over-reliance on psychiatric drugs, studies show that the rate of misdiagnosis is more than 4 in 10.

Beneath these symptoms that are all-too-quickly categorized as psychiatric disorders, are often medical conditions such as poor nutrition, Lyme disease, allergies or hypothyroidism. In A Dose of Sanity: Mind, Medicine, and Misdiagnosis, Dr. Walker teaches readers to take a step back and evaluate symptoms on a deeper, biological level to start understanding what they really mean. Dr. Walker believes that psychiatry is moving towards the hypothetical realm with the manner in which it diagnoses patients, and he offers an approach in this book that goes beyond this.

One of the useful tools included in A Dose of Sanity is the 24-hour profile that mental health consumers can use to track emotional and physical changes throughout the day to give their psychiatrist a more accurate picture of how they are feeling, and the patterns and causes surrounding their symptoms. For all mental health consumers, whether you are experiencing symptoms yourself and/or have been labelled, or if you have a loved one that has told you they have been labeled hyperactive, depression, dementia, etc., this book is a must-read.

About the Author

Sydney Walker III, M.D., is a board-certified neuropsychiatrist, Director of the Southern California Neuropsychiatric Institute, and founder of Behavioral Neurology International. His other books include Help for the Hyperactive Child, Psychiatric Signs and Symptoms Due to Medical Problems, and The Hyperactivity Hoax: How to Stop Drugging Your Child and Find Real Medical Help.

Reviews

Charles B. Inlander – President, People’s Medical Society:

“Bravo to Dr. Sydney Walker. He has written a masterful book for current and prospective mental health consumers. Before filling a prescription for Prozac or Ritalin, make sure you get A Dose of Sanity.”

The Hyperactivity Hoax : How To Stop Drugging Your Child And Find Real Medical Help

Written by AbleChild on August 8, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

This book is written by neuropsychiatrist Dr. Sydney Walker, who is willing and determined to find the root of hyperactive behavior in children, instead of rushing to place psychiatric labels on them. With the rampant diagnoses of children with ADD, ADHD and hyperactivity, Dr. Walker examines what these labels mean, and whether the prescribed treatment of stimulants such as Ritalin is working.

In Dr. Walker’s private practice, he often discovered that a child that had been labeled as ADD or ADHD was misdiagnosed and in fact had displayed the hyperactive symptoms because of an underlying medical illness such as diabetes, food poisoning or allergies. In The Hyperactivity Hoax : How To Stop Drugging Your Child And Find Real Medical Help, Dr. Walker helps parents find safe and effective treatments for their child’s symptoms without prescribing them psychotropic drugs that are likely to be unnecessary and potentially cause other long-term issues for the child due to their side effects. The book also offers some entertainment with how candidly Dr. Walker calls out the psychiatric field and DSM-IV.

Dr. Walker offers valuable advice in this book for parents regarding how to determine if your child needs medical attention, how to find the medical help you need, alternative treatments for their child’s behavioral issues, how to stand your ground when dealing with doctors and school officials, and how to provide better overall care for your child.

About the Author

Reviews

Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal:

“His mission is to embolden families to say ‘no’ to the Ritalin fad.”

Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., Director, Autism Research Institute:

“Dr. Walker’s book is must reading for parents who want real solutions for their children–not just ‘wastebasket’ labels such as hyperactivity and ADD. I recommend it highly to parents–and their doctors.”

Publisher’s Weekly:

“Walker, director of the Southern California Neuropsychiatric Institute, makes a dramatic case against the widespread use of the drug Ritalin to treat hyperactive children, [pointing] a finger at hurried doctors who treat symptoms without identifying underlying causes.”

Charles Inlander, President, People’s Medical Society

“Finally someone breaks the myth about hyperactivity….Not only does it clearly show that hyperactivity is a professional excuse for medical incompetence, but it gives parents a real action plan for helping their children. It’s about time an esteemed physician spoke out. Bravo, Sydney Walker.”

Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco

Written by AbleChild on July 15, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

This is another groundbreaking book from psychologist Dr. David B. Stein, which was published in 2001. Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco is, like other books written by Dr. Stein, based on his highly successful Cargivers’ Skill Program, which provides parents with skills to teach their children to approach learning with more enthusiasm, and to respect and honor authority figures in the home and at school.

In the book, Dr. Stein addresses the rapid rise in children being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, and questions the pharmaceutical solutions that are so often being provided to treat these conditions in children. Dr. Stein raises concerns over the theories of ADD and ADHD, and the riskiness of prescribing amphetamine drugs like Ritalin to children as a way to treat these behavioral disorders. Dr. Stein suggests that this sudden rise in ADD and ADHD diagnoses are being brought on by children misbehaving and not being able to perform in school, which could be a result of the current status quo in modern society’s parenting and teaching institutions.

To help educators, physicians, therapists and parents treat these growing behavioral problems in children, Dr. Stein suggests an alternative to medications. His Caregivers’ Skill Program has been proven highly effective, and Stein uses case studies from his own practice to demonstrate this. This solution will lead to happier, healthier, better educated and better behaving children who have more harmonious relationships with their authority figures.

About the Author

Dr. David B. Stein is a psychologist who worked as a clinical practitioner and professor of psychology in Virginia. He also was deputized with the Prince George Co. Police Department in Virginia, and worked as a criminal profiling consultant for Petersburg and Virginia State Police. Dr. Stein is an accomplished author who spent most of his career fighting against and exposing the evils of using amphetamine drugs such as Ritalin to treat children with ADD and ADHD. His other books include The Psychology Industry Under a Microscope, Controlling the Difficult Adolescent: The REST Program, Ritalin is Not the Answer: A Drug-Free Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, and Stop Medicating, Start Parenting. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 73 years old, and is survived by his wife, two sons and two grandchildren.

Reviews

Dr. Bose Ravenel, co-author of The Diseasing of America’s Children: Exposing the ADHD Fiasco and Empowering Parents to Take Back Control:

“I am a practicing pediatrian with a heavy emphasis on behavioral problems. After reading Dr. Stein’s former book RITALIN IS NOT THE ANSWER, although skeptical because so much of conventional ‘wisdom’ about managing ADD was challenged, I cautiously began to offer this approach to select parents. The results were impressive in several cases, and this fueled my desire to learn more about Dr. Stein’s approach. Having now begun to offer the CSP (Skilled Caregivers Program) for any parent who prefers a non-medication method of dealing with ADD/ADHD behaviors, I continue to experience success in a number of cases where previously medication offered the only hope for improvement. The current volume amplifies on what Dr. Stein has previously written, and adds a number of areas to supplement the fundamental behavioral premises and techniques. Having had an opportunity to read the manuscript twice prior to its current availability, I am most impressed and unhestitatingly recommend it for any parent dealing with this issue and for professionals who would like to be able to help parents to manage their child’s behavior problems effectively without having to resort to medications.”

Ritalin is Not the Answer: A Drug-Free Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD

Written by AbleChild on July 13, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

This book, written by psychologist Dr. David B. Stein and published in 1999, highlights the fact that nearly one-tenth of American children are being prescribed psychotropic drugs which have a slew of serious side effects, and he offers an alternative to these medications. Most of the children on these medications are diagnosed with either attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). How strange is it that twenty years earlier, these psychiatric labels did not exist?

The common side effects of many of the medications prescribed for ADD and ADHD include insomnia, irritability, anorexia, nausea, dizziness, and heart palpitations. And there is a growing trend of drugs like Ritalin and other speed-like medications in this category being used recreationally and sold as street drugs.

Ritalin is Not the Answer: A Drug-Free Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD challenges the status quo and offers parents and teachers an alternative solution to the prevalent go-to use of psychiatric drugging. In the book, Dr. Stein lays out a step-by-step behavioral treatment program called the Caregivers Skill Program. This plan is based on clinical trials and research, and is meant to help children behave better at home, focus better in school, and to be more motivated and emotionally healthy overall. The program is easy to put into action, and the book also provides advice and insight for parents feeling pressured by the school system and psychiatric profession to put their children on medication.

About the Author

Dr. David B. Stein is a psychologist who worked as a clinical practitioner and professor of psychology in Virginia. He also was deputized with the Prince George Co. Police Department in Virginia, and worked as a criminal profiling consultant for Petersburg and Virginia State Police. Dr. Stein is an accomplished author who spent most of his career fighting against and exposing the evils of using amphetamine drugs such as Ritalin to treat children with ADD and ADHD. His other books include The Psychology Industry Under a Microscope, Controlling the Difficult Adolescent: The REST Program, Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco, and Stop Medicating, Start Parenting. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 73 years old, and is survived by his wife, two sons and two grandchildren.

Reviews

John Rosemond, Family Psychologist, Author and Nationally Syndicated Columnist:

“My faith in my profession is almost renewed! Stein not only flies in the face of conventional psychological ”wisdom” where ADD/ADHD is concerned, but he has written a book that is completely devoid of psychobabble. Even if you don’t have a child with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, buy ”Ritalin Is Not the Answer”. Thank you, Dr. Stein, for bringing a thousand rays of sunshine to America’s children.”

John W. Verheul, diplomate, American Academy of Family Practice:

“This book should be read by every physician before prescribing Ritalin and is an absolute must for any parent of a child diagnosed as having ADD and ADHD.”

Edward D. Smith, professor of psychology, Longwood College:

“Stein has years of experience at successfully treating hyperactive children without the use of drugs. Any parent who thinks his or her child may have an attention disorder (ADD or ADHD) should read this clear and practical book before seeking treatment.”

The Shooting Drugs – Prozac and its Generation Exposed on the Internet

Written by AbleChild on July 12, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

This book was written by Donna Smart, who is a Prozac survivor. At first she thought Prozac was really helping her, until she realized it was the very reason she lost everything – from her marriage to her successful career to her sanity. Smart learned that Prozac and other similar SSRI drugs such as Zoloft, Paxil and Wellbutrin are meant to create the illusion for the person taking the drug that they are doing “great” and as a result, the person often defends the drug vehemently. Meanwhile, they fail to notice their life falling apart and sanity being taken away from them; ultimately, these drugs create faulty judgement in the people taking them and create a false sense of self.

While Smart managed to come off Prozac and didn’t lose her life, many other victims succumbed to the darkness created in their life by the drug. Actor Phil Hartman was shot to death by his wife who was on Zoloft at the time, and then she proceeded to kill herself. And then there is rock star Del Shannon, civil rights leader Abby Hoffman, and the 50,000 other people that have lost their lives thanks to Prozac-induced suicide. These numbers are provided by a brain specialist who contributed thorough research to the book.

In The Shooting Drugs – Prozac and its Generation Exposed on the Internet, Smart provides over 200 accounts of Prozac side effects from over 200 individuals who took the drug. These side effects range from violent and suicidal ideations to significant weight gain to dysfunction with sex and love. Many have also reported that after taking SSRIs they were led into substance abuse and they became increasingly self-absorbed. Often, the side effects brought on by SSRIs cause patients to avoid coming off the drug.

This book also touches on the prevalent role SSRIs played in school shootings as well as workplace massacres. Smart warns readers about the role the psychiatric community plays and how many doctors do not lead patients to the truth about these drugs. The Shooting Drugs gives a thorough and clear account of the dangers of Prozac and other SSRIs, and makes an excellent case for why no one should take a prescription drug before researching it from every angle.

Psyched Out: How Psychiatry Sells Mental Illness and Pushes Pills That Kill

Written by AbleChild on June 17, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

This book, written by Kelly Patricia O’Meara, drives an important point home: there’s no question that people suffer, often severely, from mental and emotional issues, but what is in question is the scientific evidence that would categorize these mental issues as “diseases.” O’Meara lays out for us how these mental disorders that are now being sold as physical diseases are mostly based on theories, not actual scientific data. An example is the “chemical imbalance” theory. No psychiatrist can produce a test of a patient done to show the changing chemicals in their brain, yet much of the medical community, government and world population seem to accept the “chemical imbalance” theory as scientific fact.

Also mostly based on theory is the effectiveness of many of these psychiatric drugs prescribed for these mental “diseases.” In Psyched Out: How Psychiatry Sells Mental Illness and Pushes Pills that Kill, author O’Meara investigates the shifting of language the FDA has used to cover up potential risks and the lack of successful and effective clinical trials that have taken place with many of these psychiatric drugs. Not only are doctors and pharmaceutical companies not aware or honest enough about potential side effects, they have also failed to address the fact that many of these drugs make mental conditions worse. An example of this is suicidal ideations in children that have come after being prescribed these drugs. While it is up to the people whether they choose to take these drugs, they need to be making that decision based on truth, not blatant falsehoods.

About the Author

Kelly Patricia O’Meara is a former investigative reporter for The Washington Times’ Insight Magazine, and has written a lot of material on the fraud behind psychiatric diagnoses and the dangers of psychiatric drugs. In her 1999 cover story for the The Washington Times’ Insight Magazine, called “Guns & Doses,” she explored the connection between psychiatric drugs and senseless acts of violence. Prior to her work as a reporter, O’Meara spent sixteen years as a Congressional staffer to several members of Congress. She holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Maryland.

Reviews

Beverly K. Eakmen, The Free Library by Farlex:

“O’Meara’s well-researched statistics show that Americans are awash in prescription psychotropic drugs, especially antidepressants. She makes her case right up front.”

Warning: Psychiatry Can Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health

Written by AbleChild on June 14, 2022. Posted in Essential Books.

This book, written by psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser, exposes the field of psychopharmacology, and how it is replacing the role that psychotherapy used to play. The book explains how, while psychiatric drugs can be helpful in the short-term, they can have detrimental long-term effects and often only mask a problem that can be fixed through therapeutic means.

Dr. Glasser touches upon Choice Theory in the book, which he developed himself. The basic gist of the theory is that we all have choices to make, and understanding these choices is what liberates us from the grips of unhappiness. Most mental illnesses, according to Dr. Glasser, are an expression of one’s own unhappiness. While choosing to lift oneself out of unhappiness is a difficult thing to do, long-term psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin, Zoloft and Prosac often are not the answer, and in many cases can make things worse.

Below are a few more concepts that Warning: Psychiatry Can Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health touches upon:

Lack of mental health can lead to physical symptoms as well that will resolve themselves upon healing of one’s mental health.
It’s our desire to control others that leads to unhappiness, and once we learn to let go of this need for control, mental health improves.
Often, psychiatrists cannot tell the difference between a transformational breakthrough (which is a temporary dramatic experience that one needs to go through for a positive outcome) and an emotional breakdown. Because of this, many patients end up on psychiatric medications they don’t need.

One of the main solutions for improved mental health without psychotropic drugs that Dr. Glasser advocates for in the book is group therapy and connection with others. But the book goes much further than just recommending counseling. Since the majority of people with symptoms can’t afford or wont accept counseling, the book teaches how you can, by yourself or with your family’s help, improve your own mental health at no cost and at no risk to yourself.

About the Author

Willam Glasser, M.D., is a world-renowned psychiatrist who is president of the William Glassner Institute in Los Angeles, which he founded in 1967. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University with his M.D. in 1953 and became board certified in 1961. Dr. Glasser worked as a private practice psychiatrist from 1956 to 1986. He has written quite a few other books, which include Choice Theory, Reality Therapy, The Quality School, and Getting Together and Staying Together.

Reviews

Publisher’s Weekly:

“Swimming against what he sees as the tide of prescriptions written for antidepressants such as Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac, psychiatrist Glasser (Choice Theory) argues that these drugs can do more harm than good. He asserts that there has been some scientifically sound psychiatric research that suggests the drugs can damage mental health and even the brain itself. Through selective case studies and extrapolation of evidence, the author urges readers to think twice before accepting “brain drugs”; he states that the effectiveness of certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has been exaggerated by the drug companies. To his credit, Glasser does offer several practical alternatives for patients. But he seems to cherish his outsider status and questions the way psychiatry is practiced today. Group therapy transcripts and case studies constitute the bulk of his case, and chapters like ‘Luck, Intimacy, and Our Quality World’ and ‘We Have Learned to Destroy Our Own Happiness’ are designed to help the reader understand symptoms. Some of the anecdotes are compelling, and individuals seeking alternatives to drug treatments may benefit.” Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.