[1] In 1967, Hoffer found it increasingly difficult to publish reports on his studies of megavitamin therapies and claimed that his studies were rejected in a conspiracy of mainstream medicine, prompted by what he alleged to be extended conflicts of interest on the part of the American Psychiatric Association.

Hoffer and Humphry Osmond, who developed the hypothesis that schizophrenia is caused by the endogenous production of an epinephrine (adrenaline) based hallucinogen, were called before the Committee of Ethics of the American Psychiatric Association to explain why they were publicizing a treatment, called xenobiotic psychiatry by Bernard Rimland, which was considered outside of standard psychiatric practice.

Several name changes occurred: to Schizophrenia; then to Orthomolecular Psychiatry, ostensibly to reflect the increased application of this type of therapy to other mental illnesses; then to Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine.

[5] The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine is not indexed by MEDLINE, a database of biomedical literature.

[6] The journal is classified as a "Non-recommended Periodical" by the alternative medicine watchdog website, Quackwatch.org.