Controversy
Hoffer's claims regarding schizophrenia and his theories of orthomolecular medicine have been criticized. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association reported methodological flaws in Hoffer's work on niacin as a schizophrenia treatment and referred to follow-up studies that did not confirm any benefits of the treatment. Multiple additional studies in the United States, Canada, and Australia similarly failed to find benefits of megavitamin therapy to treat schizophrenia. The term "orthomolecular medicine" was labeled a misnomer as early as 1973. Psychiatrist and critic of psychiatry Thomas Szasz, who wrote The Myth of Mental Illness, called Hoffer's ideas about schizoprhenia "pure quackery" and his claims "arrogant" for attributing the condition to a nutrient deficiency as well as their support for Schizophrenics International, a group that attempts to deal with schizophrenia similar to alcoholism in Alcoholics Anonymous.
In a 2006 interview, Hoffer stated that while he felt that current mainstream psychiatric care was "terrible", his theories and treatments were starting to become more accepted. "We’re at a transition point. If I live another four or five years, I’ll see it."
Read more about this topic: Abram Hoffer
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