Hosts Celeste Carey and Cecil Prescod speak with Robert Whitaker, author of "Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America." Robert Whitaker probed into clinical studies in prestigious scientific journals, some dating back more than 50 years. He noticed a shocking anomaly. Psychiatric drugs have repeatedly been shown to worsen mental illness, to say nothing of the risks of liver damage, weight gain, elevated cholesterol and blood sugar, and reduced cognitive function they entail. The reality, he says, is that, because no one knows what causes mental illness, there’s no cure or palliation to be found in these pills.
Robert Whitaker returns to Portland on May 13-14 to focus on alternatives to psychotropic drugs. He will facilitate a conversation with the audience and a panel of mental health providers and peers on the current national movement to move our mental health care to a more holistic, effective and humane system.