psychiatrist and author
Psychiatrist and author of Medication Madness: The Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide and Crime and, most recently, Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and Their Families
ADHD and America's Drug Culture The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have rekindled concern about the prevalence of and the treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder . Roughly 6.4 million kids aged 4 through 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, 11 percent of all American children – and a 53 percent increase in just ten years. Fifteen percent of boys are said to have the disorder and half of them are reportedly on medication. Ritalin, Adderall and other treatments for ADHD are now a $9 billion industry and abuse of those drugs, especially in college, is epidemic. Is ADHD caused by brain disease or early childhood experience? How long does medical treatment last? What are the side effects? Do over-diagnosis and excessive drug prescription create the illusion of easy solutions for complex problems?
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
