Brain Atrophy: The Real Cause

In 1998, Dr. James Swanson asserted that the brains of ADHD subjects were, on average, 10% atrophic (smaller) compared to normal control subjects. He stated there were no ADHD studies in which the subjects were drug-naive—virtually all ADHD subjects had been on stimulant therapy.

In 1998, Dr. James Swanson asserted that the brains of ADHD subjects were, on average, 10% atrophic (smaller) compared to normal control subjects. He stated there were no ADHD studies in which the subjects were drug-naive—virtually all ADHD subjects had been on stimulant therapy. According to pediatric neurologist Dr. Fred A. Baughman, Jr., “This being the case, stimulant therapy, not ADHD, is the likely cause of the brain atrophy.”

Dr. Baughman observes: “Once methylphenidate hydrochloride or any psychotropic drug courses through [a child’s] brain and body, they are, for the first time, physically, neurologically, and biologically abnormal.”

Indeed, as early as 1986, Henry A. Nasrallah and colleagues performed CT scans on 24 young men who had been treated for “hyperactivity” since childhood, and found “a significantly greater frequency of cerebral atrophy” in the hyperactive group than in controls. Noting that all of the hyperactive patients had been treated with psychostimulants, the researchers suggested, “Cortical atrophy may be a long-term adverse effect of this treatment.

In 1994, G.J. Wang and colleagues researched the effects of methylphenidate on the cerebral blood flow of five healthy males and reported “decrements in cerebral blood flow were homogenous throughout the brain and probably reflect the vasoactive properties of methylphenidate.” In plain English, the drug appears to cause blood vessels in the brain to constrict significantly.

A close inspection of all these theories reveals that here is an emperor entirely and very obviously without clothes.

As Edward Dolnick in Madness on the Couch, says: “Today the biological picture of mental illness has triumphed completely. For now. We are as sure that ‘everything is biological’ as our predecessors of a generation ago were that ‘it’s all in the mind’....Every morning’s headlines contain announcements that scientists have found a gene for manic-depression or a drug that conquers phobias. The ‘discovery’ may be retracted the next day, but the underlying premise stays unquestioned—mental diseases have their roots in biology, and the more serious the disease, the deeper the roots. A recent Newsweek cover spelled out today’s conventional wisdom: ‘Shy? Forgetful? Anxious? Fearful? Obsessed?’ it asked, and went on to announce a story on ‘How Science will Let You Change Your Personality with a Pill.

The Misleading Comparison Between Treatment for “ADHD” and Insulin for Diabetes

Finally, in an effort to gain acceptance of a biological approach to “ADHD,” proponents misleadingly argue that ADHD requires “medication” in the same way that diabetes requires insulin treatment. On this, Dr. Mary Ann Block is adamant: “Let me clear this up right now. ADHD is not like diabetes and [the stimulant used for it] is not like insulin. Diabetes is a real medical condition that can be objectively diagnosed. ADHD is an invented label with no objective, valid means of identification. Insulin is a natural hormone produced by the body and it is essential for life. [This stimulant] is a chemically derived amphetamine-like drug that is not necessary for life. Diabetes is an insulin deficiency. Attention and behavioral problems are not a [stimulant] deficiency.”

Psychiatric drugs do not treat mental disorders in the same way as insulin treats diabetes. “What is implied in this statement is that psychotherapeutic drugs, like insulin, correct known chemical deficiencies (or excesses, or other instances). This analogy is repeated over and over again not only in promotional material....and in articles published in professional journals, but, judging from reports from patients, every day in offices of psychiatrists and other physicians,” Valenstein says.

CCHR What we Believe

Drugging Our Children

RECOGNITION OF CCHR

CCHR's humanitarian work has been recognised the world over for ensuring legal rights and protections for consumers and/or their families. Read more...

DRUG WARNINGS

CCHR led the fight for informed consent to psychiatric treatment, obtaining the first law in South Australia in 1979 that granted patients the right to consent to or refuse electroshock treatment. In recent years, it has filed numerous requests to the Therapeutic Goods Administration to reveal all the adverse drug reactions for psychotropic drugs reported to it. Click here to read more

DRUG SIDE EFFECTS

No matter what country someone is prescribed a psychiatric drug, the side effects are the same: dangerous, sometimes life-threatening, but always debilitating. CCHR International in Los Angeles decoded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration psychotropic drug reports database to produce this drug side effects search engine for consumers. This is also relevant to all Australians. You can also view a selection of ADHD drug reactions including Ritalin, Concerta, Dexamphetamine & Strattera obtained by CCHR.

Psychiatric Drugs

An Australian Report Titled, Psychiatric Drugs and Violence documents how Antidepressants and Antipsychotics can Cause Violence.
The report was written as Australians are not adequately warned that psychiatric drugs can cause homicidal actions and thoughts....

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