Calling Quote by Peter Breggin
“If you've heard Hillary Clinton's recent remarks on Ritalin and other drug use on children, you'll find the usual nauseating demagoguery. She appears to be urging Ritalin caution; but, if you listen carefully, she's calling it a miracle drug: "A Godsend for emotional and behavioral problems, for both children and their parents." She insists her efforts are not an attack on the medical treatment of children's emotional well-being because the drugs are very, very "useful."”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast on mental health, 2023
The speaker claims that a medication presented as a cautionary example is actually praised as a miraculous solution, revealing contradictory messaging.
In simple terms: A drug is both warned against and praised, showing mixed messages.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and question contradictory health claims.
Themes
health communication
media criticism
pharmaceutical ethics
public perception
Mood
skeptical
critical
concerned
Type
analytical
informative
cautionary
When to use this quote
- parental decision making
- policy debate
- clinical practice
- media literacy
Key Concepts
miracle drug rhetoric
risk vs benefit analysis
public health messaging
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you evaluate conflicting health information?
- What evidence supports the drug's benefits?
A Different Perspective
The claim may overlook side effects and individual variability.
![“The N.I.M.H. spent multi-millions of dollars on [Ritalin studies], and they're going to do the same thing now with little kids. And despite the millions spent, the N.I.M.H. study wasn't even conducted according to accepted scientific procedures and is basically worthless.” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a6f/peter-breggin-22000_accepted_the-n-i-m-h-spent-multi-millions-of-doll_2754571.jpg)
![“I was asked by the National Institute of Health to be their scientific discussant on the effects of these drug [Ritalin] at a big conference they held. Beforehand, I reviewed all of the important literature on the issue. Even with experiments on animals. When they're given these drugs they stop…” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/09b/peter-breggin-22000_animal_i-was-asked-by-the-national-institute-of_2488763.jpg)
![“[Hillary Clinton] is giving money to N.I.M.H. [National Institute for Mental Health] ultimately to conduct more experiments on two- to four-year-olds. What they're going to do is conduct a lot of clinical studies which actually drug two- to four-year-olds.” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ddc/peter-breggin-22000_clinicals_hillary-clinton-is-giving-money-to-n-i-m_57008.jpg)
![“In part I'm just mystified. Here's a woman, Hillary [Clinton], who wrote a book about it takes a "village" to raise children. It wasn't about a book about "it takes a pill." There's a "double think" that the modern person often has. Anything that's called "science" is accepted as an absolute and…” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8ad/peter-breggin-22000_absolutes_in-part-i-m-just-mystified-here-s-a-woma_640718.jpg)
![“The man Hillary [Clinton] introduced at the meeting goes so far as to say that no amount of trauma to children - or poor parenting or anything in their lives - causes them mental disorders. He says it's all biological and genetic and should be treated by drugs.” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/093/peter-breggin-22000_amount_the-man-hillary-clinton-introduced-at-th_697679.jpg)
![“What a pleasure to hear Michael Savage backtalk to Hillary [Clinton]. You know, there is such hypocrisy with her. I didn't start out as a Clinton basher; I started out hopeful years ago. What she's doing here is merely damage control because her drugs have come under criticism.” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f31/peter-breggin-22000_bashers_what-a-pleasure-to-hear-michael-savage-b_1591306.jpg)
![“Hillary [Clinton] even said that, whether or not teenagers want treatment, they have to get it. So it's involuntary treatment.” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bbd/peter-breggin-22000_clinton_hillary-clinton-even-said-that-whether-o_1722939.jpg)
![“[ Alfred Kinsey] was sexually abusing those children and had sex abusers working for him to stimulate the babies.” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/47e/peter-breggin-22000_abusers_alfred-kinsey-was-sexually-abusing-those_2305797.jpg)
![“I don't see [ Trainspotting ] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've got a good agent, I've got a good manager, I'm getting a lot of work out there and doing a lot of stuff - getting a lot of film projects on the go.” quote by Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/918/irvine-welsh-843_agents_i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatros_7750.jpg)
