Robert Whitaker

About the author: Robert Whitaker is the author of Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill.

In the United States and other developed countries, people suffering from schizophrenia remain chronically ill because of the antipsychotic medication they are prescribed. In contrast, schizophrenic patients in poorer countries such as India and Nigeria have much higher rates of recovery because their treatment does not include such drugs. A 1998 study by University of Pennsylvania researchers reported that antipsychotic medications cause part of the brain to become enlarged and that this enlargement is associated with a worsening of schizophrenic symptoms. Some European physicians are seeking effective nondrug treatments for schizophrenia and are exploring treatments such as counseling and social support with some promising results. Clearly, U.S. psychiatrists need to...