Psychiatric Drugs: Why They Often Fail Us Over Long Term

Science for the Public Lectures, April 23, 2019, Belmont Public Library, Belmont MA

Robert Whitaker, prize-winning author of Anatomy of an Epidemic, Mad in America, and co-author of Psychiatry Under the Influence. He is also the founder of the resource/info organization Mad in America.com

More than one in five Americans now takes a psychiatric medication. Yet, as our use of these medications has soared, so too has the burden of mental disorders in our society. Why would this be so? Unfortunately, research has shown that long-term outcomes for medicated patients are poor. As a result, new initiatives are emerging that lessen the use of medications and focus instead on creating supports that help children and adults struggling with mental difficulties get well and stay well.

Robert Whitaker is an American journalist and author who has won numerous awards as a journalist covering medicine and science, including the George Polk Award for Medical Writing and a National Association for Science Writers’ Award for best magazine article. In 1998, he co-wrote a series on psychiatric research for the Boston Globe that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. His first book, Mad in America, was named by Discover magazine as one of the best science books of 2002. Anatomy of an Epidemic won the 2010 Investigative Reporters and Editors book award for best investigative journalism. He is the publisher of madinamerica.com.

Must-reads: Robert Whitaker will discuss these April 23

Review articles for Mad In America in New York Review of Books (2 issues)