Peter R. Breggin, MD, has been called "The Conscience of Psychiatry" for his many decades of successful efforts to reform the mental health field. His scientific and educational work has provided the foundation for modern criticism of psychiatric drugs and ECT, and leads the way in promoting more caring and effective therapies. He is the author of dozens of scientific articles and more than twenty books including the bestseller Talking Back to Prozac (1994, with Ginger Breggin), Medication Madness: The Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide and Crime (2008), and Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and Their Families (2013).
Dr. Breggin acts as a medical expert in criminal, malpractice and product liability suits, often involving adverse drug effects such as suicide, violence, brain injury, death, and tardive dyskinesia. He began testifying in the early 1970s and has been qualified in court 85 times or more since 1987.
As an example, in November 2012 a jury in the Supreme Court of the State of New York awarded $1.5 million malpractice verdict to the family of a man who committed suicide while taking psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants (read more). Dr. Breggin was the medical expert for the plaintiffs. In addition, on September 16, 2011, based on Dr. Breggin’s report and testimony, a Winnipeg provincial judge concluded that Prozac caused a sixteen-year-old boy to knife a friend to death (read more).
Dr. Breggin is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and former full-time consultant at NIMH. In 2010 he testified before Congress about psychiatric-drug induced violence and suicide in the military. Dr. Breggin's private practice is in Ithaca, New York where he treats adults, couples, and families with children. He has a subspecialty in clinical psychopharmacology, including adverse drug effects and psychiatric drug withdrawal.
