Vitamin B-3 and Schizophrenia

Robert B. MacIntyre is head of the Centre for Relationship Therapy and
Education in Orangeville, Ontario.

For nearly 50 years, Abram Hoffer has been one of the leading proponents
of the use of nutrition and vitamin therapy in the treatment of mental
illness. In this book, he has gathered together all of his studies
supporting the use of forms of vitamin B–3 in the treatment of
schizophrenics and presented them in the form of a historical narrative
supplemented with his own commentary.

Written by one of the originators of orthomolecular psychiatry, the
book provides some insight into the history of the practice of
psychiatry in Canada and North America. Hoffer includes data from his
clinical trials and reports on how he would treat a variety of
presenting symptoms. The book’s last section deals with the author’s
conflicts with the medical establishment in general and the American
Psychiatric Association in particular.

Dr. Hoffer’s views have sparked considerable controversy. While his
book makes a useful contribution to the literature on medical history,
he is clearly writing as an advocate. Those seeking a balanced treatment
of the topic will have to look elsewhere.