Forthcoming - A national wake-up call
Prescription Affliction
A leading psychologist exposes how ordinary childhood is being turned into a psychiatric disorder — and what we must do about
About Dr Gretchen Watson
Dr. Gretchen LeFever Watson is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and one of the country's foremost authorities on the over-medication of children with psychiatric drugs. Her forthcoming book, Prescription Affliction, draws on decades of research to expose how ordinary childhood is being turned into a psychiatric disorder.
Prescriptions Are Up. So Is the Crisis.
1 in 10
1 in 10
1 in 10
US children are now on psychiatric medication — up from near zero a generation ago
61%
1 in 10
1 in 10
Increase in diagnosed anxiety among adolescents since 2016 — as prescriptions climbed alongside it
3X
1 in 10
3X
American children are three times more likely to be prescribed psychiatric medication than children in Western Europe
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Solution has become the problem.
When ordinary childhood struggles — a restless student, a grieving teenager, a nervous child — are reframed as chemical imbalances requiring lifelong medication, something has gone terribly wrong.
In Prescription Affliction, Dr. Watson draws on decades of research, a career-defining confrontation with the pharmaceutical industry, and devastating real-world stories to expose how psychiatric diagnoses and medications are applied far too readily to the normal ups and downs of childhood
More than an indictment — this is a road map for parents, educators, and clinicians who want to protect children and find better paths forward.
Book release date to be announced.
