Reclaiming Our Children: A Healing Plan for a Nation in Crisis

by Peter R. Breggin

Book Overview

Children have been sliding down our priority list for too long. Busy parents give children leftover time -- those few remaining minutes after work and recreation. Stressed teachers have put conformity... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738202525
• ISBN13: 9780738202525
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

What kind of solution do we want?

Has "A reader from Wisconsin, United States" (first reviewer) actually read the book?Do you want to chemically zonk children into performing and behaving up to our standards or do we want to find out the CAUSE of their problems and address that?Mainstream medicine 99% of the time attacks symptoms, and not causes, does suppressing the cough, runny nose and fever of someone with a cold actually get rid of the virus or is it suppressing symptoms? It is our own immune system that destroys the invader not nyquill or benilyn. Once the virus is gone, then we become well again.Also remember the cause MAY or MAY NOT be the child him/herself

Our childrens' safety is at stake!

Dr. Breggin presents a discussion of how American society does a disservice to our troubled school children by labelling them with psychiatric diagnoses and medicating them rather than critically examining the alienation and abandonment caused by family, schools, and communities. For parents, counselors, and educators, a most important chapter is one which offers suggestions for improving our schools. The book stresses that the most important factor in assisting the positive growth of our children is an individual child's relationship with a loving, mature adult. Even in impoverished communities, children can succeeed if a nuturing adult is there to counter negative effects of such adverse events as drugs, violence, and racism. The book is an alert for parents, counselors, and educators. If this information is acted upon by increasing numbers of caring adults, the quality of the lives of our precious youth should significantly improve. Breggin is but one man, but hehas high hopes for a whole nation.

A Valuable Message

Dr. Peter Breggin continues to express his belief in the innate ability of children to heal and move their lives in a positive direction. A key ingredient is for adults to recognize the need for children to have a lifestyle that allows them to be children. I don't believe Dr. Breggin blames parents for their children's problems. I think he sees them as responsible for creating a productive lifestyle for the child. In this day and age it is common for very young children(kindergarten and younger) to spend an eight to ten hour day away from parents and in school or childcare. While this allows parents to increase their income it may produce anxiety and distractiblity in the child. Dr. Breggin does an outstanding job of sorting out how the child is the victim of biopsychiatry while the culture continues to place materialism and income as a top priority. I was impressed by his case studies and his courage in speaking out against the label and medicate phenomena that places children at risk.I have worked as an elementary counselor for the past twenty-three years. Currently I am in private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor. In my twenty plus years of working with children and families I have found that strong parents who create a realistic structure for their children overcome most childhood problems. At the same time I have seen many families turn to psychiatric labels and medication only to discover their child was caught in a downward spiral of behavior and emotional problems.

unique and valuable

Unlike another reviewer here, I have read the book and I understand what Breggin is saying. Unlike the cacophany of experts who always end up blaming the child, or the child's brain, Breggin challenges us to look at ourselves as a culture and make necessary changes. Where else can you find an author who isn't just pushing drugs or some discipline program or psychobabble for kids? Conventional wisdom obviously isn't working. Breggin is unconventional, but appeals to common sense. Sobering but inspiring.

If you have problem kids, read Breggin's book.

For one thing, Dr. Breggin has done a great job researching the common characteristics of the childhood shootings in schools in the past several years, which surprisingly are much more frequent than what appear in the popular press. He points out how the proposed solution by Clinton and associates is misguided, and bound for failure. Setting up school programs of increased psychiatric care (read drugs) is not the answer. Dr. Breggin shows that the vast majority of the child shooters were already under care (read drugs). This is where politics comes in. Any issue seems only to have value to the extent to which it can be manipulated - in this case child vilolence is certainly a huge problem. The angle is the billions of dollars of taxpayer money which will change hands providing psychoactive drugs of questionable value, to millions of genuinely troubled kids. If drugs were the answer, this problem would already be solved. Breggin asks some uncomfortable questions about the true nature of the situation, and proposes some reasonable solutions which involve more than masking the problem in a fog of experimental antidepressants. Before you submit your kid to any behavioral treatment program, you might consider informing yourself on the issues by perusing this thoughtful and scary book.