In 1990, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights issued criticisms regarding anti-depressant drugs and approached the FDA and psychiatrists to issue warnings regarding tendencies towards extreme violence and suicide when under their influence, filing several complaints and providing extensive evidence. It was considered overreaction and hype at the time. At that time in 1991, roughly 16 years ago, the evidence was staggering: 60 Deaths, 141 Psychotic Events/Violent Episodes, 391 Intentional Overdoses and 991 Suicide Attempts had been documented with direct links to these drugs.

Thirteen years later and after extensive investigations, the FDA did exactly that, mandating that a black box warning, the strongest warning that the FDA requires, be placed on all antidepressant medications due to the potential of severe psychological side effects.

Rather than any public outcry, the mention was largely ignored. Anti-depressant prescriptions are increasing annually in mammoth proportion. As many of these drugs are often prescribed to teenagers and young adults, is there a horrifically missed and obvious connection in the monumental rise in violence and shootings among this very age group? Is there a question that we should all shoulder the blame in asking ourselves?

Are Antidepressants actually causing violence?

Consider if you will the following:

September 28, 2006: Bailey, Colorado: Duane Morrison, 53, entered Platte Canyon High School and shot and killed one girl, and sexually assaulted 6 others. Antidepressants were found in his vehicle.

March 21, 2005: Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota: 16-year-old Native American Jeff Weise was under the influence of the antidepressant Prozac when he shot and killed nine people and wounding five before committing suicide.

April 10, 2001: Wahluke, Washington: 16-year-old Cory Baadsgaard took a rifle to his high school, and held 23 classmates and a teacher hostage while on a high dose of the antidepressant Effexor.

March 22, 2001: El Cajon, California: 18-year-old Jason Hoffman was on two antidepressants, Effexor and Celexa, when he opened fire at his California high school wounding five.

March 7, 2000: Williamsport, Pennsylvania: 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush was on the antidepressant Prozac when she blasted away at fellow students in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, wounding one.

May 20, 1999: Conyers, Georgia: 15-year-old T.J. Solomon was being treated with a mix of antidepressants when he opened fire on and wounded 6 of his classmates.

April 20, 1999: Columbine, Colorado: 18-year-old Eric Harris was on the antidepressant Luvox when he and his partner Dylan Klebold killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 23 others before taking their own lives in the bloodiest school massacre to date. The coroner confirmed that the antidepressant was in his system through toxicology reports while Dylan Klebold’s autopsy was never made public.

April 16, 1999: Notus, Idaho: 15-year-old Shawn Cooper fired two shotgun rounds in his school narrowly missing students; he was taking a mix of antidepressants.

May 21, 1998: Springfield, Oregon: 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his own parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on students in the cafeteria, killing two and wounding 22. Kinkel had been on Prozac.

In 1989, Joseph Wesbecker shot dead eight people and injured 12 others before killing himself at his place of work in Kentucky. Wesbecker had been taking the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant fluoxetine for four weeks before these homicides, and this led to a legal action against the makers of fluoxetine, Eli Lilly. The case was tried and settled out of court in 1991.

Independent data from antidepressant clinical studies show that there has never been a clinical trial - not one - where hostility and violence were not reported in initial findings. Not one.

According to the CCHR, breaking news from investigators at Virginia Tech reveals that Cho may have been taking anti-depression drugs. And although the connection is largely glossed over by mainstream media, if this is confirmed it would bring the total to 61 killed and 77 wounded under the influence of psychiatric drugs.

When is enough finally enough?


Sources: Citizens Commission on Human Rights
National Foundation for Women Legislators