Alert 1, May 23, 2017: Introducing Frequent Alerts by Dr. Peter Breggin

Starting today, on a frequent basis, I will fill this space with alerts about important events and publications related to improving and reforming the broad fields of psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, neuroscience, anthropology and evolution. The focus will be on human well-being from a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective. Sometimes I will offer a personal observation and keep you aware of my latest conferences, publications, and thoughts. Often I will describe and link to the work of other people including professionals, family members, and individuals who have experienced treatment for better or for worse.

Here is a news flash: As a growing new emphasis of mine, I will also be examining and promoting more healthy plant-based diets. Better eating is a key to physical and hence mental health. Working with nutritionist Pam Popper, we are developing educational, training, and service delivery systems that emphasize a combination of good nutrition and psychological well-being. My Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy is sponsoring a conference in November of this year with Pam’s Wellness Forum Health that brings together pioneers in both nutrition and mental wellbeing. I will speak, of course, and my special guest speakers will be Peter Gøtzsche, MD, the great Danish physician who is exposing flawed psychiatric research, and Jeanne Stolzer, PhD, who will talk about the importance of nurturance and bonding in human evolution and child development. Pam Popper, PhD is bringing in cutting edge researchers from nutrition and medicine. 

These Frequent Alerts will announce upcoming radio interviews and commentaries on my weekly “The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour” on PRN.fm. Between these Frequent Alerts and my weekly radio show, I will do my best to help keep you aware of important ongoing events and publications, and some of my latest ideas and work.

I want to begin my Frequent Alerts by pointing out the enormous and growing number of important articles on Bob Whitaker’s amazing website Mad In America. Currently on Mad in America, Michael Corrigan and Bob Whitaker take on a fraudulent article in Lancet that tries to relate small brain size to “ADHD.” The Lancet authors do this without ever addressing the huge volume of literature debunking any relationship between variations in normal brain size and human mental functioning. Einstein’s brain, some of you may recall, turned out to be quite small! Recently I had Michael on my radio show debunking the Lancet study while the two of us talk more expansively on a range of children’s issues from medication to education.

Wish me luck! I want to make Frequent Alerts something worth your visiting on a regular basis. You can sign up here to be alerted when a new Frequent Alert goes up.

Peter R. Breggin, MD