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Your Drug May Be Your Problem:
How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications.

by Peter R. Breggin M.D. and David Cohen Ph.D.
Hardback, 1999, Perseus Books, Reading, MA.

The first book to expose the shortcomings of psychiatric drugs and to guide patients and doctors through the process of withdrawing from them. 
 

Your Drug May Be Your Problem is the only book to provide an up-to-date uncensored description of the dangers involved in taking every kind of psychiatric drug.It is the first and only book to explain how to safely stop taking psychiatric drugs.

Psychiatric drugs are given positive names like "antidepressant," "tranquilizer," "sleeping pill," "stimulant," "mood stabilizer," and "antipsychotic."But can they do more harm than good?Can they make you feel worse than ever?

Psychiatric drugs are prescribed to more than twenty million Americans to help with problems called"depression," "anxiety," "panic disorder," "insomnia," "obsessive-compulsive disorder," "manic-depressive (bipolar) disorder," and "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."But can they cause problems you never had before?Can they ruin your health and life?

Your doctor may take fifteen minutes to decide you need a drug, but you can end up taking it for months, years, or a lifetime.You deserve to know the dangers in advance--including the difficulties you may encounter when trying to withdraw from them.

Before you start or stop taking psychiatric drugs, read this book.Learn about their dangers and learn about how to safely stop taking them.This book can help you and your doctor make a plan to safely withdraw you from psychiatric drugs.

   Groundbreaking and empowering, Your Drug May Be Your Problem offers readers what they have long sought-a medically and psychologically sound program for freeing themselves from psychiatric drugs, emphasizing throughout the importance for patients to keep control over the withdrawal process.

About the Author
With a background that Time magazine describes as "pure establishment"--Harvard College, Case Western Reserve Medical School, and a teaching fellowship at Harvard Medical School--Peter Breggin, M.D., has become an internationally known psychiatrist and author of a dozen books, including the bestselling Talking Back to Prozac and Talking Back to Ritalin. Formerly a member of the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University Department of Counseling, he is the International Director of
the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, which he founded in the early 70s. He is in private practice in Bethesda, Maryland.

David Cohen, Ph.D., holds degrees from McGill University and the University of California at Berkeley. He is Professor of social work at the University of Montreal, where he teaches and does research in the field of psychiatric medication, a subject on which he has published widely.

What Others Are Saying About Your Drug May Be Your Problem!
"This book leads the way in explaining and redefining the growing pathology
of the culture of psychiatric medications.  It is a reminder of where we are
and a non-medical prescription of where we can go."

-- Dr. Fred Bemak, Professor of Counselor Education and Section Head for
Wellness and Human Services, College of Education, The Ohio State University

 "In non-technical, easy to understand language, Peter Breggin and David
Cohen bring an incredibly important and hardly ever recognized message to
people who need to understand the dark side of psychiatric drugs and how to
stop taking them.  I heartily recommend it."

-- Candace Pert, Ph.D., Research Professor, Department of Physiology and
Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center and author of Molecules of
the Mind
 

"This book is long overdue.  Drs. Breggin and Cohen make possible the
practice of psychiatry with a conscience."

-- Bertram P. Karon, Ph.D., Professor of Clinical Psychology, Michigan State
University.
 

 "This innovative, informative, and easy-to-read book is a godsend for
non-medical people such as parents, teachers, counselors, social workers,
and psychologists who need to know the potential dangers of referring their
children, students, or clients to physicians for psychiatric medication."

-- Clemmont E. Vontress, PhD, Professor  Emeritus of Counseling, George
Washington University

 "It has taken great courage for Drs. Breggin and Cohen to write this very
significant book....As advocates for non-pharmacological approaches...the
authors have outlined a careful and highly responsible program for
withdrawal from psychiatric medications."

-- Milton F. Shore, Ph.D., Former President, American Orthopsychiatry
Association, and recipient of the American Psychological Association Award
for Outstanding Professional Contributions (1998)
 

 "This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive and honest source of
information about adverse and withdrawal effects of commonly-used
psychiatric drugs.  It should be in the office of all medical and
non-medical "mental health" workers.  It should also be read by anyone
considering the use of psychiatric drugs and all those who want to stop."

-- David H. Jacobs, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Resident Faculty,
California Institute of Human Science
 

 "Working as a consultant I am constantly looking for ways to help clients
achieve a more educated view regarding psychotropic medication.  Breggin and
Cohen have assembled a gold mine of information to assist in this process.
I can think of no other book that has done such a superb job of making such
information accessible at any point of decision regarding taking or
discontinuing psychotropic medication."

-- Tony Stanton, M.D., Psychiatric Consultant

"Emotional maturity, self-confidence, and life competence come from
struggling with stresses, fears, and adversities.  When young people become
addicted to drugs they remain emotionally immature until they quit and start
learning to cope.  Breggin and Cohen point out that the same is true of
chronic users of major psychiatric medications.  It is not until they
withdraw from the chemical dependency urged on them by psychiatry, that they
can develop inner strengths for coping with life's difficulties."

-- Al Siebert, Ph.D., author of The Survivor Personality
 

"One hundred years from now, people will read current psychiatric textbooks
with the same incredulity we have about blood-letting and snake oil.  Your
Drug May Be Your Problem will be remembered as the turning point and as the
beacon that showed the way out of these dark days of widespread psychiatric
drugging.  Breggin and Cohen, like trusted friends, provide us with critical
information we need to know in order to make informed decisions about
psychiatric drugs, including when and how to stop taking them.  They present
it all within a coherent philosophy of life and health that makes the
routine use of psychiatric drugs obsolete.  If you have reached that
inevitable point of being disillusioned with your psychiatric drug, this
book will be your best friend and guide."

-- Douglas C. Smith, MD
 
 

"Your Drug May Be Your Problem provides much useful and very practical
information and it is much needed considering that there is such massive
propaganda by the pharmaceutical and medical industries about such drugs.
This propaganda must be combated, and this book contributes to that effort."

-- Wolf Wolfensberger, Ph.D., Research Professor, Syracuse University School
of Education and Director, Training Institute for Human Service Planning,
Leadership and Change Agentry

"Your Drug May Be Your Problem is an honest and straightforward attempt to
present a clear picture of drug effects, why we turn to drugs, their role in
society, and more.  It fills a real need in our current drug culture and in
our current complete trust in the drug dispenser himself.  The book's main
import will be to serve as a counter-balance to the myth of a "miracle" drug
cure.  It's a must on everyone's bookshelf!"

-- Rhoda L. Fisher, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

"I recommend Your Drug May Be Your Problem as the number one self- help
guide to coming off psychiatric drugs."

-- Dr. Steven Baldwin, Ph.D., Senior Editor, Ethical Human Sciences and
Services Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of Teesside, Teesside, UK.
 

"This book is one of the most important things that has happened to
psychiatry and especially to so-called "psychiatric patients" during this
century.  Having worked for more than 20 years with so-called schizophrenics
--the main victims of the abuse of psychiatric drugs--I can say that Peter
Breggin and David Cohen must be praised for the courage they have had to
unmask many pseudo-scientific conclusions frequently present in supposedly
scientific literature."

-- Alberto Fergusson, M.D., Director, Fungrata

"I highly recommend this book to persons on psychiatric drugs, and to the
physicians who prescribe them. These drugs are very powerful, either for
good or for harm. Since the actions for almost all of them are still
unknown, the people who use them are being experimented on, mostly
without their knowledge. Drs. Breggin and Cohen are experts on the
negative effects of drugs. Their views should be just as widely known as
the misleadingly positive advocations of the drug companies."

-- Thomas J. Scheff , Professor Emeritus, Dept of Sociology, UCSB

"Anyone considering saying "yes" to psychiatric drugs, or wanting to "just
say no," should first say "YES" to buying and reading this essential,
informative book.  Breggin and Cohen's goal is empowerment of troubled
people seeking help, not propaganda, pressure or profit.  This book
questions, informs, warns, and leaves the reader far better able to choose
wisely."

-- Thomas Greening, Ph.D.

"This is a courageous, compassionate book, and a much-needed antidote to
the pro-drug bias of modern psychiatry and psychology."

-- John Horgan, author The End of Science and The Undiscovered Mind.

"The modern medical approach to almost any human problem is to find a drug
-- a sort of magic bullet --to fix it.  But many drugs do more harm than
good -- and some even cause the problems they are supposed to fix.  And once
on a drug, coming off may also be dangerous.  In this clear and important
book, Peter Breggin and David Cohen outline the problems and provide a
step-by-step account of how to come off the drug which may be harming you."

-- Steven Rose, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Director, Brain and Behavior
Research Group, Open University

"I sure hope the authors have bodyguards and lots of insurance-the
psychotropic drug manufacturers will be on their tails for sure.
Confronting current psychiatric drug prescribing practice head on is a
daunting task-we owe Breggin and Cohen a vote of thanks for openly speaking
the truth.  Despite what the pharmaceutical companies would
have us believe we don't need "a better life through chemistry".  This book
will help debunk this myth and provide practical advice on how to avoid
psychiatric drugs and get off them".

-- Loren Mosher, Soteria Associates, San Diego, CA., Former  Chief of the
Center for Studies of Schizophrenia, National Institute of Mental Health,
Rockville, MD.

"Your Drug May Be Your Problem is a clear, accurate and thorough look at the
dangers of psychiatric drugs and a prudent outline of what steps to take for
those who want to stop taking them."

-- Thomas J. Moore, author Prescription for Disaster: The Hidden Dangers in
Your Medicine Cabinet

"I wish I had this book when I was trying to come off psychiatric drugs.
How wonderful that you have provided this guide."

- Kate Millett
- Author, Sexual Politics and The Loony Bin Trip

"Drs. Peter Breggin and David Cohen take the reader through the risky
pathways of psychiatric medication with accurate information as a guide.
Dr. Breggin was a voice in the night calling for responsibility with
psychiatric medication.  Now he leads an orchestra of protest."

-- Jay Haley, United States International University, author of Leaving Home
and Learning and Teaching Therapy

"Breggin has been a brave pioneer in not only pointing out but also
meticulously documenting the ways that the "Emperor" of traditional mental
health treatment is naked.  His relentless raising of questions and
documentation of false advertising and cover-ups by drug companies and
various forms of abuse of patients by a variety of therapists is invaluable
and irreplaceable."

-- Paula J. Caplan, Ph.D., author of They Say You're Crazy and The Myth of
Women's Masochism, Visiting Scholar, Pembroke Center, Brown University

"Nowhere does the false medical thinking, that there is a drug free cure for
almost all common diseases, do more harm than in the modern psychiatric
argument that mental illness is easily diagnosed and then cured by a
side-effect free drug.  Nowhere is the correct psychiatric thinking more
evident than in the books by Peter Breggin.  In them he explains clearly
that patients with mental illnesses are in almost all instances suffering
from their inability to connect with important people in their lives and
need help in making these vital connections.  He supports safe, drug free
counseling as a more effective way to help people and I enthusiastically
agree with this premise."

-- William Glasser, M.D., psychiatrist; author of Reality Therapy and the
forthcoming Reality Therapy in Action