Antidepressants and Violence Linkage

Antidepressants are medicines that treat depression. One of the most common antidepressants
that doctors prescribe to their patients is Prozac. Prozac, that it is also known as fluoxetine, it is
one of the most prescribed medications in the world. This drug is included in the class of
antidepressant drug called Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). (Kramer, Breggin,
1994)
Because Prozac is cheaper, there are many people using medication like this instead of
psychotherapy. It was not until 1989 that questions about Prozac started to come out, when
Joseph Wesbecker killed eight people and left injured to twelve; not after killing himself at his
workplace in Kentucky. When they investigated his background it was known that Wesbecker
was taking antidepressants for four weeks before he committed murder. This was the reason why
the controversy about the side effects of fluoxetine and suicidal behavior came out. (Healy,
Herxheimer, Menkes, 2007)

There is another antidepressant also known for being closely linked to homicidal acts, or
homicidal thoughts and homicide; it is Paroxetine. There is a case about a patient who was taking
antidepressants and killed three members of his family and then he killed himself. Studies have
been made and show us nine cases of people who have committed murder and show other
aggressive conduct. By the year 2003, 121 aggression cases on paroxetine were reported and
these number increased by 2006. (Healy, Herxheimer, Menkes, 2007).
Akathisia, manic reactions, emotional disinhibition, etc have been linked to treatment; and it is
really good evidence that antidepressant treatment can provoke problems as the one mentioned
before and that they can lead people to violence.
Akathisia is one of the side effects that can be caused by antidepressants; this comes with
feelings of being uncomfortable, insomnia and restlessness.
People with manic reactions can have a psychotic episode in which they become suicidal and
violent (Breggin, 2005)

Many trials have been made so that we can know if antidepressants actually cause violence in
people as the side effects. In a placebo-controlled experiment from the 3992 subject, 2615
patients were treated with flouxetine and the other 1377 were subjects to a placebo treatment.
The results were that violence in the patients taking fluoxetine was significantly lower than in
patients with the placebo treatment. (Dinan, 2000)

It appears to be likely that those antidepressants as Prozac (flouxetine) or Paroxetine can actually
cause violence in a person, but other people with these drugs have actually been benefited a lot
of people like it did with Rita, who after taking Prozac became a different and happier woman
(Kramer, Breggin, 1994).
When asked if antidepressants cause violence, Chris Mallas M.D. said there wasnt anything that
could cause someone to commit suicide or to be more violent, but added to that just as there is
not enough evidence to tell that drugs cause violence, there is also lack of evidence on drugs
reducing suicidality (Ballas, 2007).
Also, Prozac is known to be one of the antidepressants that dont cause the patient the drastic
side effects that other drugs do, and also to be one drug that improves the quality of life for other
people (Kramer, Breggin, 1994).
Our mood is affected by chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, these have been linked
with mental diseases as the year pass by. One neurotransmitter that was recognized in 1948,
serotonin was found to have many effects on a variety of organs.
These neurotransmitters act like messengers that transmit signals from a neuron to the next
between cells, when this happens some neurotransmitters bind to the receptors and others are
reabsorbed by the sending cell and this is called reuptake. Later in the 1960s and 1970s, some
investigators suggested that depression was the result of the abnormal low concentrations of
serotonin at the synapse.
What scientists believe is that when theres too much reabsorption of these neurotransmitters, a
chemical balance in the brain is caused and this can lead to depression.
Antidepressants block the reuptake of serotonin, and this way the imbalance is avoided (Kramer,
Breggin, 1994).

After writing this paper, I believe that even though there are quite a few cases on antidepressants
showing how they may have induced people to suicide or to be more violent; theres not enough
evidence that antidepressants actually cause violence. As Chris Ballas said, theres nothing that
can lead someone to kill himself or harm others, theres no such thing as pills that can actually
cause suicidality (Ballas, 2007). Every person has a different reaction to antidepressants and as
far as we know, antidepressants have been great in people, even though some of them have
reacted in a bad way. Antidepressants avoid the excessive reabsorption of neurotransmitters, and
even when there can be some side effects in the subject, the results in most of people have been
positive. I believe that antidepressants are actually good for people and have helped many with
depression problems.

Bibliography

1. Healy, D., Herxheimer, A., & Menkes, D.B. (2007). Antidepressants and violence: Problems at
the interface of medicine and law. International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine. 19, 17-33.
2. Dinan, T.G. (2000).Antidepressants and violence: Cause for concern or media hype?. Human
Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental. 15, iii-iv.
3. Kramer, P.D., & Breggin, P.R. (1994). Has the link between Prozac and violence been
exaggerated?. CQ Researcher, 4, Retrieved February 16, 2009, from
http://exlibris.lib.byu.edu/sfxlcl3?genre=;isbn=;issn=10562036;title=CQ
%20Researcher;volume=4;issue=31;date=19940819;atitle=Has%20the%20link
%20between%20Prozac%20and%20violence%20been%20exaggerated
%3F;aulast=Kramer%2C%20Peter%20D.;spage=737;sid=EBSCO%3AAcademic
%20Search%20Premier;pid=%3Cauthors%3EKramer%2C%20Peter%20D.%3C
%2Fauthors%3E%3Cui%3E9408237655%3C%2Fui%3E%3Cdate%3E19940819%3C
%2Fdate%3E%3Cdb%3EAcademic%20Search%20Premier%3C%2Fdb%3E
4. Ballas, C. (2007). Do antidepressants cause violence?. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
MyDepressionConnection Web site:
http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/49/9479/suicide
5. Breggin, P.R. (2005).Recent U.S., Canadian, and British regulatory agency actions concerning
antidepressant-induced harm to self and others: A Review and analysis.. Ethical Human
Psychology and Psychiatry. 7, 7-22.