The St. Louis Metro region continues to be the epicenter of the drug overdose epidemic in Missouri and accounted for approximately 55% of all drug overdose deaths in Missouri in 2019 and 2020.
While the majority of these drug-involved deaths involved opioids in St. Louis City and County in 2020, we observe that illegal stimulants were also a major contributor. Unfortunately, legal stimulants, depressants and other prescribed psychotropic drugs can also share in the shame, as violence, suicide and heart attacks are known potential side effects of antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs.
Recreational use of prescription drugs is a serious problem with teens and young adults. National studies show that a teen is more likely to have abused a prescription drug than an illegal street drug. Depressants, opioids and antidepressants are responsible for more overdose deaths (45%) than cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and amphetamines (39%) combined.
To promote drug education, October 2021 has been proclaimed “Drug-Smart St. Louis Month in St. Louis County, Missouri“:
[L-to-R Stephen Forney, Ellen Maher-Forney, Dr. Sam Page, Moritz Farbstein]
“I, Sam Page, St. Louis County Executive, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2021, as Drug-Smart St. Louis Month in St. Louis County, Missouri, and do hereby recognize the Foundation for a Drug-Free World – St. Louis Chapter, volunteers and St. Louis drug educators and encourage the citizens of St. Louis County to participate in drug education activities.”
The fact missed by most is that psychiatric, mind-altering drugs have been found to be the common factor in an overwhelming number of acts of random senseless violence and suicide. On the surface, the idea of psychiatric treatment, tranquilizers or antidepressants creating hostility and violence may not make sense. After all, they are supposed to make people better, calm and quiet. But the reality is that they can and do create such adverse effects. This is called “Drug Induced Psychosis.”
It could be dangerous to immediately cease taking psychiatric drugs because of potential significant withdrawal side effects. No one should stop taking any psychiatric drug without the advice and assistance of a competent medical doctor.
Psychiatric treatments such as drugs, electric shock and involuntary commitment are supposed to assist people who need help, not kill them. Too often, delinquency, suicide and violence have been falsely attributed to someone’s “mental illness,” when in fact the very psychiatric methods used to “treat” such “illness” are the cause of the problem. In addressing the rise in drug overdoses, senseless violence and suicide in society, the role of psychiatric drugs must be investigated.
Why do we sometimes say “psychiatric drug” and other times we say “psychotropic drug?”
Generally, the terms are used interchangeably, but let’s examine the differences and similarities.
Drug: 1) A substance (other than food) that, when taken into the body, produces a change. 2) Essentially a poison; the amount taken determines the effect. A small amount is a stimulant (speeds you up.) A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down.) An even larger amount poisons and can kill. This is true of any drug. [Old French drogue; perhaps from Dutch drog, meaning dry — possibly referring to dried herbs]
Psychiatric: Having to do with the supposed study and treatment of “mental disorders.” [Greek psyche, soul, mind + iatreia, cure]
Psychotropic: Having an effect on psychic function, behavior, or experience; mood-altering. [Greek psyche, soul, mind + trope, a turning]
We specifically say “drug” rather than “medication” or “medicine” in order to emphasize that these substances are not legitimate medical treatments.
We might say “psychiatric drug” in order to emphasize that these are promoted by the psychiatric mental health industry.
We might say “psychotropic drug” in order to emphasize that these have powerful effects on the mind, including side effects such as violence and suicide.
Much of what you hear about drugs actually comes from those selling them. Don’t be fooled; find out about it yourself.
Psychotropic drugs are increasingly being exposed as chemical toxins with the power to kill. Psychiatrists claim their drugs save lives, but according to their own studies, psychotropic drugs can double the risk of suicide. And long-term use has been proven to create a lifetime of damage, a fact ignored by psychiatrists. Psychotropic drugs now kill an estimated 42,000 people every year.
People take drugs because they want to change something about their lives. They think drugs are a solution. But eventually, the drugs become the problem.
Drugs block off all sensations, the desirable ones with the unwanted. So, while providing short-term help in the relief of pain, they also wipe out ability and alertness and muddy one’s thinking. Drugs blur memory, causing blank spots. Drugs make a person feel slow or stupid and cause him to have failures in life. And as he has more failures and life gets harder, he wants more drugs to help him deal with the problem. When the drug wears off, the crash is even lower than before. Each time, the emotional plunge is lower and lower.
Abuse of prescription drugs like psychotropic drugs has become a more serious problem than most street drugs. They may appear “safe” due to being prescribed by doctors, but they can be just as addictive and potent as the heroin or cocaine sold on the street, with painful withdrawal symptoms for those who try to quit.
Depressants such as the psychiatric drugs Xanax, Valium, Halcion, Librium, Ativan, and Klonopin, can cause impairment of memory, judgment and coordination, irritability, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts. Some people experience the opposite of the intended effects, such as agitation or aggression. Tolerance to many depressants can develop rapidly, with larger doses needed to achieve the same effect. This can lead to death by overdose.
Stimulants such as the psychiatric drugs Ritalin and Concerta temporarily increase energy, but lead to exhaustion, apathy and depression — the “down” that follows the “up.” This quickly leads the user to want the drug again. Repeated high doses of some stimulants over a short period can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia.
Antidepressants such as the psychiatric drugs Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft, and Effexor have equally disastrous side effects. One study found that 14% of the young people taking an antidepressant became aggressive and even violent.
Depressants, opioids and antidepressants are responsible for more overdose deaths than cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and amphetamines combined.
Mood stabilizers such as the psychotropic drugs Lithium and Depakote are highly toxic drugs used to treat what psychiatrists call “manic depression,” now referred to as “bipolar disorder.” Many experts agree that because there are no lab tests to confirm the presence or absence of any psychiatric disorder, psychiatric diagnoses such as bipolar are speculative and unscientific. In fact, drugs used to treat bipolar can actually cause the very same symptoms that psychiatrists claim it handles.
Do not think that these drugs, whether we call them psychiatric drugs or psychotropic drugs, heal anything. They are intended to cover up or “mask” your problems. Meanwhile, they tend to wear out your body.
What about those who say psychotropic drugs really do make them feel better? “What ends up happening,” says Dr. Beth McDougall, a health center medical director, “is that someone feels good for a while and then very often they have to have their dose increased. And then they feel good for a while and then they might have to have it increased again, or maybe they’ll switch agents. So it’s that kind of a story, if you’re not actually getting to the root of what’s going on.”
There is no question that people do experience problems and upsets in life that may result in mental troubles, sometimes very serious. But to say that these are “medical diseases” or caused by a “chemical imbalance” that can only be treated with dangerous drugs is dishonest, harmful and often deadly. What psychiatric drugs do instead is mask the real cause of problems, often denying you the opportunity to search for workable, effective solutions.
According to the California Department of Mental Health Medical Evaluation Field Manual: “Mental health professionals working within a mental health system have a professional and a legal obligation to recognize the presence of physical disease in their patients…physical diseases may cause a patient’s mental disorder [or] may worsen a mental disorder…”
Patients and physicians must urge their government representatives to endorse and fund non-drug workable alternatives to dangerous psychiatric drugs.
