In the past two decades, Robert Whitaker has published books and articles that challenge the conventional wisdom about the widespread use of medications in treating mental illnesses. A research paper entitled: The case against antipsychotic drugs: a 50-year record of doing more harm than good, that the journalist/author published in 2004 is representative of the skeptical eye that Whitaker casts.
By chance, I was included in an email exchange where Whitaker objected to being labeled as someone who is unilaterally “against” medications. Dr. Allen J. Frances, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical School, suggested that Whitaker clarify his views. In this guest blog, Whitaker explains what his research has shown him.
Me, Allen Frances, and Climbing Out of a Pigeonhole
All of this led to my having an email exchange with Allen Frances, who urged me, if I indeed thought antipsychotics had a use, to make this publicly known. My writings on this topic, he wrote, had:
“Caused collateral damage in 2 ways: 1) misleadingly discouraging meds for those who have tragic outcomes without it, and 2) contributing to the adversarial relationship between service users vs providers & families that is unique to the US and a major reason our system is such a mess. I am absolutely frank with you because I think you are intellectually honest and well meaning, but also unbalanced by the pressures of leading a crusade and by a lack of clinical and life experience with the constituency whose needs you ignore. With relatively small changes in the emphasis of your message and a clarification that you support selectivity, you could broaden your mandate to include the needs of the severely ill inappropriately in jail & homeless and could help heal the rupture between users and providers & families. I understand that you haven’t caused the problems and the limitations of any one person in healing them, but you are in a unique position to help and I think it would be irresponsible of you not to try once you fully understand the other side of the story you are presenting.” (Quoted with Allen Frances’ permission.)
Pete Earley also wrote to say that if I wrote such a piece, he would like to publish it on his site.