From The New Westminster Times: “In the aftermath of one of the worst days in the history of Vancouver, a recent Canadian Press headline stated the obvious: “Eby warns against jumping to conclusions about Lapu-Lapu suspect’s care before alleged attack.“
Wise advice—except, when it comes to psychiatric medications and acts of violence, silence and denial only fuel dangerous assumptions.
The history of psychiatric drug use is deeply shadowed by controversy.
Guidelines often recommend SSRI antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety meds, but, scientists well-versed in this topic warn that psychiatric medication particularly widely-prescribed SSRIs can sometimes do more harm than good.
Side effects, overtreatment and inappropriate medication—where more drugs are added to deal with the adverse effects of other drugs–can worsen outcomes, yet these harms are often ignored in serious cases.
UBC’s Therapeutics Initiative reported that over a decade of observations in clinical trials and case reports indicate that that up to 25% of younger people placed on various SSRIs experience psychiatric adverse effects such as agitation, disinhibition, and aggression, among other effects.”
