Charles Whitfield, MD, is a board certified internist who transitioned into psychiatry. He is author of the best-selling book, Healing the Child Within. His numerous other books include The Truth About Depression, The Truth About Mental Illness, Not Crazy: You May Not Be Mentally Ill, and – co-authored with his wife, Barbara Harris Whitfield, The Power of Humility.

Here he argues that most conditions that are labeled as mental illness are actually instances of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is properly viewed as a normal reaction to trauma. He points out that psychiatric drugs often precipitate side effects that result in further misdiagnoses. When patients stop using such inappropriate medications, sometimes the withdrawal symptoms results in yet more psychiatric misdiagnoses. For the most part, he suggests that therapy is a process of uncovering and healing the innocent, inner child. He maintains that self-help groups can be very effective in this process.

(Recorded on March 1, 2016)

Published on March 2, 2016