Toxicology Results Show Antidepressants in Illinois School Shooter’s System

Bringing Total to 54 Dead and 105 Wounded in Recent Drug-Induced School/Teen Shootings

MARCH 14:  Illinois police have confirmed that toxicology results show Illinois gunman Steven Kazmierczak had antidepressants in his system during his school shooting rampage—when he shot and killed five before committing suicide—bringing the total of recent psychiatric drug induced shootings to 54 dead and 105 wounded. Kazmierczak is the 12th school or teen shooter in the past decade under the influence of psychiatric drugs documented by international drug regulatory agencies to cause suicide, mania, psychosis, hallucinations, hostility and in the case of one antidepressant, “homicidal ideation.” In response to an increasing number of these violent attacks, the mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) says it is time to stop vested interests from spouting their usual propaganda about psychiatric drugs, and instead demand a federal investigation for the sake of public safety. While the psychiatric/pharmaceutical industries have persisted in vehemently denying that antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs cause violence, or quickly denying any possible correlation, CCHR is quick to point out that it was similar vested interests that stalled the FDA from issuing suicide warnings on antidepressants in 1991. 13 years later CCHR was vindicated for its efforts when the FDA finally issued the long overdue black box warning in 2004. (See CCHR’s 1991 FDA hearing video.)

In a new 11-minute documentary entitled Psychiatry’s Prescription For Violence, psychiatrists, psychologists, professors, attorneys and medical experts join CCHR in exposing the link between psychiatric drugs and acts of violence that have been buried by those putting profit before public safety. CCHR’s battle for full public disclosure on the risks of these drugs spans nearly two decades and is chronicled in a new report entitled CCHR: Exposing the Dangers of Antidepressants and Other Psychotropic Drugs—Despite FDA/Psychiatric-Pharmaceutical Cover-Ups.

Today growing numbers of medical professionals, scientists and doctors are publishing studies exposing the facts that have been kept from the public. In September 2006, Dr. David Healy, Director of Cardiff University’s North Wales department of psychological medicine, and colleagues published the findings of their study of the antidepressant, Paxil, in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine stating: “We’ve got good evidence that the drugs can make people violent and you’d have to reason from that that there may be more episodes of violence.” In a 2003/2004 analysis of psychiatric drug-induced violence/suicide, published in International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, psychiatrist Peter Breggin concludes, “There are many reports and studies confirming that SSRI [Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor] antidepressants can cause violence, suicide, mania and other forms of psychotic and bizarre behavior.”

CCHR’s new documentary is featured on its website http://www.cchr.org, on a section entitled “Psychiatric Drugs, Violence and School Shootings.” The website also features medical studies regarding treating patients without the use of psychiatric drugs under “Solutions/Alternatives.”

What others are saying about the documentary:

“An excellent tool to educate and empower parents on the abuse and proliferation of psychoactive drugs throughout our families and school systems. Parents need to be made aware of the devastating effects of these poisons on our most cherished resource.”

-Dr. Colbey Forman, Dean of Barron University, School of Psychoneurology

“The documentary is not only excellent qualitatively but extremely accurate. The public and the professional communities need to see it.”

-Dr. David Stein, psychologist

“I know that I have to go back to my own state and do what I can to stop the overuse and overprescription of these psychiatric drugs. It is imperative that we educate the public and I am sure they will be as outraged as I am.”

-Georgia Senator Donzella James

“A screeching wake-up call to the desensitizing of the human soul.”

-Carlos Ramirez, actor

To obtain a copy of the documentary click here.

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is an international psychiatric watchdog group co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, to investigate and expose psychiatric violations of human rights. Visit CCHR St. Louis at www.cchrstl.org.