The Link Between Psychiatric Drugs and Senseless Violence

There is overwhelming evidence that psychiatric drugs cause violence: 22 international drug regulatory warnings cite violence, mania, hostility, aggression, psychosis and even homicidal ideation. Individuals under the influence of such drugs and committing these acts of senseless violence are not limited to using guns and are not limited to just schools.

There have been 10 studies in four countries on psychiatric drug-induced violence.

At least 34 school shootings and/or school-related acts of violence have been committed by those taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs resulting in 166 wounded and 78 killed (in other school shootings, information about their drug use was never made public—neither confirming or refuting if they were under the influence of prescribed drugs). The list includes not only mass shootings, but the use of knives, swords and bombs.

School-related acts of violence aren’t the only cases commonly found to be under the influence of psychiatric drugs. There are 18 other recent acts of senseless violence committed by individuals taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs resulting in an additional 76 dead and 61 wounded.

Between 2004 and 2012, there have been 14,773 reports to the U.S. FDA’s MedWatch system on psychiatric drugs causing violent side effects including: 1,531 cases of homicidal ideation/homicide, 3,287 cases of mania & 8,219 cases of aggression. (Note: By the FDA’s own admission, less than 1% of side effects are ever reported to it, so the actual numbers of side effects occurring are most certainly higher.)

While there is never one simple explanation for what drives a human being to commit such unspeakable acts of violence, all too often one common denominator has surfaced in hundreds of cases—prescribed psychiatric drugs which are documented to cause mania, psychosis, violence, suicide and in some cases, homicidal ideation. To date, there has been no federal investigation of the link between psychiatric drugs and acts of violence.