In the weeks following the shooting at Sandy Hook – as with every other mass shooting – gun control has been a highly debated and heated topic. While attention has been directed mainly towards “assault rifles” and “high-capacity magazines”, there has been some frivolous talk of mental health as well.
Last year Mother Jones did what they called an “in-depth investigation into mass shootings.” The report included an extensive list of 62 mass shootings from 1982 to 2012, including the date, place of incident, and information about the killers, the guns they used and mental health history.
While the report essentially focuses on gun violence and the supposed need for greater gun control to reduce violence, there is one thing that both Mother Jones and fellow gun-grabbers have failed to address: Psychiatric medications.
It would seem that this vital piece of information would be looked at more carefully, considering the fact that the FDA has already been warned of the violence induced by certain types of medications; Violence which includes homicidal tendencies and ideations.
From a study published by PLOS One:
“In the 69-month reporting period we identified 484 evaluable drugs that accounted for 780,169 serious adverse event reports of all kinds. This total included 1,937 (0.25%) cases meeting the violence criteria. The violence cases included 387 reports of homicide, 404 physical assaults, 27 cases indicating physical abuse, 896 homicidal ideation reports, and 223 cases described as violence-related symptoms.”
“These data show that serious acts of violence towards others were regularly reported as an adverse drug event.”
In fact, Prozac is rated the second most violence-inducing antidepressant, followed by Paxil at number three, both of which are commonly prescribed for depression and other conditions.
SSRI Stories has a list of 66 known cases of school shootings or other school-related violence in which the person was either taking or withdrawing from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, a commonly prescribed type of antidepressant.
In addition, the website has a database of nearly 5,000 publicized cases of virtually unexplained, abnormal behavior of individuals while taking SSRIs, most of which happened after the year 2000 and the majority of which include homicide of some sort. The site has since expanded to include more personal stories from individuals which were never publicized.
Though Hipaa regulations can make it difficult, if not impossible, to learn whether or not a killer was taking medication, sometimes the information is made public by friends or family members. Even rarer is that this information will make it into a report by mainstream media.
Although there has been some increased talk about mental health with the latest gun control fiasco, both the government and mainstream media continue to ignore the possible link between violence and psychiatric medications.
With pharmaceutical companies increasing their campaign contributions each election cycle to the tune of over 44 million dollars in 2012, perhaps it’s a bit more convenient to sweep the issue under the rug rather than call attention to what may very well be the real problem and risk losing all of that money? Perhaps it’s easier to focus on “the cure”, rather than the cause.
Is it possible that over-medicated America may be partially responsible for causing an epidemic of violence? Voice your opinions below.
Other articles of interest:
- My hunting rifle and Katyn forest
- Government procurement reveals hypocrisy on ‘assault weapon’ terminology
- Hearing yields explosive testimony about law enforcement corruption in gun case
- Government prepares for war with the people, and mass media approves
- Citizens unite against failed Gun Control policies by Rep. Linsky & Gov. Patrick
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
©2013 Jennifer L. Cruz. All Rights Reserved.
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