CCHR: For Prevention, Families Deserve Truth From NIH Study on Psychiatric Drugs
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LOS ANGELES - Washingtoner -- By CCHR International

Families and communities deserve answers about the potential role psychiatric drugs may play in senseless acts of violence—an issue suppressed for decades by vested interests. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is urging that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study on psychotropic drugs and violence be given the full weight it deserves, warning that dismissing it would betray the public's right to safety and truth.

The NIH has been directed to investigate studies to shed light on the link between psychiatric drugs, particularly SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) antidepressants, and violence. CCHR President Jan Eastgate stressed: "The significance of this lies in its potential to open a conversation long silenced—how mind-altering drugs, prescribed to millions, may contribute to acts of senseless violence, from shootings to stabbings and assaults that devastate families."

Cocaine, methamphetamine, and alcohol are widely recognized as risk factors for aggression. "Why should prescription psychotropics be treated differently? Families deserve truth, not excuses," Eastgate added.

Tennessee in 2025 mandated toxicology testing for psychotropic drugs in autopsies after certain mass shootings—a landmark policy CCHR says should be expanded nationwide to cover all mass acts of violence.[1] A Florida Senator has announced plans to file a bill requiring disclosure of whether perpetrators of mass or terroristic violence had taken antidepressants, citing public safety concerns.

In 2000, the New York State Senate proposed tracking violent crimes committed by individuals tested for psychotropic drugs. The bill stalled in committee, but had it passed, a reporting system would already be in place.

Concerns are not new. In 1989, at a Kentucky coroner's inquest, a psychiatrist testified that an antidepressant influenced a workplace shooting in which eight people were killed. Since then, medical experts across the U.S. and internationally have raised alarm over violent acts linked to psychiatric drugs, while the industry has resisted scrutiny.

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Regulators have long issued warnings:

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has logged at least 1,530 reports of homicide or homicidal ideation associated with psychiatric drugs.
• FDA advisories (2004, 2005) highlighted risks of agitation, hostility, and suicidal behavior on antidepressants. It also warns of homicidal ideation with one SSRI.[2]
• Health Canada warned of SSRIs' "potential for harm, including suicidal thoughts and the onset or worsening of agitation-type adverse events."[3]
• Australian regulators linked stimulants such as dextroamphetamine and atomoxetine to homicidal thoughts.[4]
• The European Medicines Agency reported increased aggression in children and adolescents taking SSRIs.[5]
• FDA Black Box Warnings already acknowledge suicidal thoughts on drugs such as the ADHD drug Strattera (atomoxetine hydrochloride) and antidepressants.

The Violence Project's Mass Shooter Database reports at least 24% of shooters had been on psychotropics—a figure likely underestimated due to limited access to medical records.[6] Independent researchers, including Professors Peter C. Gøtzsche and David Healy, have published data showing increased aggression linked to SSRIs.[7]

The FDA admitted in 2007 that all patients on antidepressants should be closely monitored for agitation, hostility, aggression, or unusual behavior.[8] Professor Healy has explained that drug-induced agitation is a major causal factor in suicide and violence, with about 5% of patients dropping out of trials for this reason—ten times the placebo rate.[9] Applied to 45 million Americans on antidepressants, that risk could potentially affect 2.25 million people.

Withdrawal adds further risks. The UK Royal College of Psychiatrists warns that stopping antidepressants can trigger anger, agitation, suicidal impulses, or akathisia—an intense inner restlessness linked to violence. These effects may persist for weeks, months, or longer.[10] "Too often, such reactions are misrepresented by vested interests as a perpetrator merely stopping treatment, rather than serious drug-induced withdrawal effects," Eastgate said.

Recent tragedies highlight the issue:

• U.S. and European incidents in 2025 revealed perpetrators with histories of psychiatric drug treatment or active prescriptions.
• Investigators in Sweden concluded that one mass killer acted under the influence of amphetamine and sedative drugs.
• Reports from Tennessee, Florida, New York, and Germany similarly documented psychiatric drugs in connection with acts of mass violence.

While not every individual reacts violently, evidence shows that a subset does—and families deserve to be informed of the risks.

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Violence is not a symptom of mental illness. As Dr. Jonathan Metzl of Vanderbilt University notes, no psychiatric diagnosis includes homicidal behavior. Substance-induced states, however, are well-recognized causes of violence.

Other influences also matter. Programs such as "death education" and court-mandated anger management have shaped violent behavior in some cases. Two U.S. school shooters in Columbine, Colorado—one taking an SSRI—had been instructed in class to imagine and write about their own deaths. One described a shooting spree—then weeks later, enacted it.[11]

Eastgate emphasized: "Investigating this issue does not mean excusing crime. It means transparency, accountability, and willingness to examine all possible causes, rather than protecting commercial interests. To ignore prescription psychotropics despite regulatory warnings and clinical evidence is reckless."

CCHR argues that honest inquiry is essential:

• Families who lost loved ones deserve clear answers.
• Communities living in fear need prevention strategies grounded in science, not industry spin.
• Policymakers must have accurate data to legislate effectively.

CCHR has published a documented report, Psychiatric Drugs: Create Violence & Suicide—School Shootings and Other Acts of Senseless Violence.

CCHR is a non-profit mental health industry watchdog founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz. For more than five decades, it has investigated and exposed psychiatric abuse, leading to reforms and protections worldwide.

Sources:

[1] www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/ablechild-tennessee-sets-national-precedent-passage-ablechild-bill/

[2] "Detailed View: Safety Labeling Changes Approved By FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) – Nov. 2005

[3] www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2004/06/health-canada-advises-canadians-stronger-warnings-ssris-other-newer-anti-depressants.html

[4] Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration "Product Information safety updates"

[5] Ibid.

[6] www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/

[7] www.madinamerica.com/2024/08/violence-caused-by-antidepressants-ignored-once-again-by-psychiatrists/; www.eventbrite.com/e/antidepressants-and-homicide-automatism-spectrum-disorders-tickets-1020994190107

[8] www.cchrint.org/2024/10/11/cchr-wants-increased-consumer-awareness-about-prescriptions-for-violence/; www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3697

[9] www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3697

[10] www.cchrint.org/2021/04/06/antidepressant-withdrawal-warning-vital/; www.researchgate.net/publication/335329642_Antidepressant_withdrawal_-_the_tide_is_finally_turning

[11] www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/aug/18/20020818-040825-5515r/