The Anti-Depressant Fact Book: What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Luvox

by Peter R. Breggin

s/t: What Your Doctor Won't Tell You about Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa & Luvox
Known as "the Ralph Nader of psychiatry," Dr. Peter Breggin has been the medical expert in countless court cases involving the use or misuse of psychoactive medications. This unusual position has given him unprecedented access to private pharmaceutical research and correspondence files, information from which informs this straight-talking guide to the most prescribed and controversial category of American drugs: antidepressants. From how these drugs work in the brain to how they treat (or don't treat) depression and obsessive-compulsive, panic, and other disorders; from the documented side and withdrawal effects to what every parent needs to know about antidepressants and teenagers, The Anti-Depressant Fact Book is up-to-the minute and easy-to-access. Hard-hitting and enlightening, every current, former, and prospective antidepressant-user will want to read this book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Psychology

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2001

About the author

Peter R. Breggin MD is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and former Consultant at NIMH who has been called “The Conscience of Psychiatry” for his many decades of successful efforts to reform the mental health field.
His work provides the foundation for modern criticism of psychiatric diagnoses and drugs, and leads the way in promoting more caring and effective therapies.
His research and educational projects have brought about major changes in the FDA-approved Full Prescribing Information or labels for dozens of antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs.
Dr. Breggin has authored dozens of scientific articles and more than twenty books, including medical books and the bestsellers Toxic Psychiatry and Talking Back to Prozac.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers of this book are likely to run to their shrinks and tell them they don’t want to take pills for their depression anymore. Breggin, who has a strong biases against antidepressants, lays out a strong case to prove his contention that these drugs are, for most people, ineffective and dangerous. He details the changes that happen in the brain with the class of drugs known as SSRIs, talks about patients who did terrible things under the influence of SSRIs, and suggests other ways to deal with depression besides drugs. Although the book is 15 years old, it does not feel dated. For me, he was already preaching to the choir, but I imagine lots of folks, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical professions would disagree.

[Yvette · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author's bias against anti-depressant drugs couldn't be clearer. I appreciate that he has concerns about the use of this medication but the scare tactics and worst case scenarios he presents do not lend weight to his argument.