Robert Whitaker (author)
Encyclopedia
Robert Whitaker is an American
journalist and author, writing primarily about medicine, science, and history.
at MIT
. Following that he became director of publications at Harvard Medical School
. In 1994 he co-founded a publishing company, CenterWatch, that covered
the pharmaceutical clinical trials industry. CenterWatch was acquired by Medical Economics, a division of The Thomson Corporation, in 1998.
Articles which he cowrote won the 1998 George Polk Award for Medical Writing and the 1998 National Association for Science Writers’ Science in Society Journalism Award for best magazine article. A 1998 Boston Globe article series he cowrote on psychiatric research was a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
.
In April 2011 IRE
announced that Anatomy of an Epidemic
had won its award as the best investigative journalism book of 2010 stating, "this book provides an in-depth exploration of medical studies and science and
intersperses compelling anecdotal examples. In the end, Whitaker punches holes in the
conventional wisdom of treatment of mental illness with drugs."
about psychiatric research and medications, the domains of some of his earlier journalism.
He appeared in the film Take These Broken Wings: Recovery from Schizophrenia Without Medication released in 2008, a film detailing the pitfalls of administering medication for the illness.
http://www.iraresoul.com/dvd1.html
published an article of Whitaker, Mind drugs may hinder recovery in its Ediorial/Opinion section.
In 2004, Whitaker published a paper in the non-peer-reviewed journal Medical Hypotheses
, titled
The case against antipsychotic drugs: a 50-year record of doing more harm than good. In his book Anatomy of an Epidemic
, published in 2010, Whitaker continued his work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist and author, writing primarily about medicine, science, and history.
Early career
He was a medical writer at the Albany Times Union newspaper, in Albany, N.Y., from 1989 to 1994. In 1992, he was a Knight Science Journalism fellowKnight Science Journalism Fellowships
Knight Science Journalism Fellowships, a program hosted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , offers fellowships to experienced journalists who specialize in science and technology, medicine or the environment. The program also accepts journalists who wish to cover these subjects...
at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. Following that he became director of publications at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. In 1994 he co-founded a publishing company, CenterWatch, that covered
the pharmaceutical clinical trials industry. CenterWatch was acquired by Medical Economics, a division of The Thomson Corporation, in 1998.
Articles which he cowrote won the 1998 George Polk Award for Medical Writing and the 1998 National Association for Science Writers’ Science in Society Journalism Award for best magazine article. A 1998 Boston Globe article series he cowrote on psychiatric research was a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
.
In April 2011 IRE
Investigative Reporters and Editors
Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the quality of investigative reporting. Formed in 1975, it presents the IRE Awards and holds conferences and training classes for journalists. Its headquarters is in Columbia, Missouri, at the University of...
announced that Anatomy of an Epidemic
Anatomy of an Epidemic
Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America is book by Robert Whitaker published in 2010 by Crown. Whitaker asks why the number of Americans who receive government disability for mental illness approximately doubled since 1987...
had won its award as the best investigative journalism book of 2010 stating, "this book provides an in-depth exploration of medical studies and science and
intersperses compelling anecdotal examples. In the end, Whitaker punches holes in the
conventional wisdom of treatment of mental illness with drugs."
Mad in America
He has written on and off for the Boston Globe and in 2001, he wrote his first book Mad in AmericaMad in America
Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill is a controversial book by Robert Whitaker published in 2002 which is highly critical of the psychiatric profession. Problems with many historical aspects of treatment, as well as antipsychotics, are covered...
about psychiatric research and medications, the domains of some of his earlier journalism.
He appeared in the film Take These Broken Wings: Recovery from Schizophrenia Without Medication released in 2008, a film detailing the pitfalls of administering medication for the illness.
http://www.iraresoul.com/dvd1.html
Other works
In 2002, USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
published an article of Whitaker, Mind drugs may hinder recovery in its Ediorial/Opinion section.
In 2004, Whitaker published a paper in the non-peer-reviewed journal Medical Hypotheses
Medical Hypotheses
Medical Hypotheses is a medical journal published by Elsevier. It was originally intended as a forum for unconventional ideas without the traditional filter of scientific peer review, "so long as are coherent and clearly expressed" in order to "foster the diversity and debate upon which the...
, titled
The case against antipsychotic drugs: a 50-year record of doing more harm than good. In his book Anatomy of an Epidemic
Anatomy of an Epidemic
Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America is book by Robert Whitaker published in 2010 by Crown. Whitaker asks why the number of Americans who receive government disability for mental illness approximately doubled since 1987...
, published in 2010, Whitaker continued his work.
Books
- Mad In America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and The Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill, Perseus Publishing, December 24, 2001, ISBN 0738203858
- The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon, Basic Books, April 13, 2004, ISBN 0738208086
- On the Laps of Gods: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice That Remade a Nation, Crown, June 10, 2008, ISBN 0307339823
- Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America, Crown, April 13, 2010, ISBN 9780307452412
Further reading
- ""Anatomy of an Epidemic": The hidden damage of psychiatric drugs", Salon, Jed Lipinski, April 27, 2010
- "Are Prozac and Other Psychiatric Drugs Causing the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America?", AlterNet, Bruce E. Levine, April 28, 2010
External links
- C-SPAN video, Whitaker talks for 1.5 hours
- Mad in America Robert Whitaker's blog.