Posted by hello321 on October 4, 2015, at 22:03:37
In reply to Re: Shooters and Psychiatry, posted by SLS on October 4, 2015, at 21:16:43
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> > > > Interestingly, the rate has been going down steadily since the
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> > > After reviewing the chart further, I don't understand how anyone would try to use it to make an argument that increased antidepressant use is associated with higher rates of violent crimes.
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> > > 1. Within a few years of the release of Prozac, violent crimes have gone down steadily.
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> > > 2. The media attention paid to Prozac and depression beginning in 1988 produced a large increase in antidepressant prescriptions. I believe it is at least 400%.
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> > > http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/astounding-increase-in-antidepressant-use-by-americans-201110203624
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> > > Wouldn't one expect an increase in the rate of violent crimes by 400% if antidepressants were responsible for producing them? Instead, there is a significant reduction. How can this be?
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> > > The statistic I haven't seen yet is the proportion of people that take antidepressants who go on to commit suicide or violent crimes. If you line up 100 people who take antidepressants, how many of them will suffer negative behavioral reactions? What if it is only 3*? The media attention paid to those 3 will be greatly exaggerated and make antidepressants seem like prolific killers. Perhaps negative reactions can be screened for more closely by doctors early in treatment. Weekly or biweekly evaluations might be indicated.
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> Prozac was released in December of 1988. However, it didn't become a blockbuster until the media made it into one. It didn't make the cover of Newsweek magazine until March 26, 1990. I don't think it reasonable that Prozac should increase prescription numbers by 400% in the two years following the magazine article. Violent crimes began to fall beginning in 1993 according the chart you posted. Maybe Prozac reduced violent crime. Fewer depressed and anxious people = reduced violent crime? It would make a wonderful explanation for what we see in the statistics you cited. But, then again, maybe not.
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> So now you have me confused. I forgot exactly what we were talking about.
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Lol I've gotten a bit confused about it too. I suppose the thread started out about what was causing all these mass shootings we hear about lately. And I posted one reason for it may actually be psychiatric meds.
Maybe prozac and other psych meds have worked to make some who take it less prone to violence. I think this is likely. But I also believe these meds can do the opposite.Also, here is a study done is Sweden that concluded depressed people undergoing outpatient psychiatric treatment are more likely to commit violent crimes. Well it didn't come to this conclusion exactly. Just that depressed people are more likely to commit violent crimes. Though all the folks in the study were diagnosed nd being treated for depression by psychiatric services.
"The study only included patients diagnosed and treated for depression by outpatient psychiatric services. People who required inpatient admissions and those treated by their GPs were excluded, so it may not be representative of people with different severities of depression."
poster:hello321
thread:1083163
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150929/msgs/1083212.html