Citizens Commission on Human Rights Birmingham Welcomes Antidepressant Ban

In most countries there are very few families or teachers whose lives have not been interrupted in some way by the widespread drugging of children with prescribed, mind-altering drugs. Seventeen million children worldwide are now prescribed some form of psychotropic drug.

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights Birmingham has welcomed the announcements in the press of the ban being imposed on SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) to children under the age of 18 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

CCHR Birmingham claims Psychiatrists do know the connection between psychiatric drugs, violence and suicide. But the business of prescribing these drugs is obviously too good and much too lucrative to stop – merely to protect or save lives. Three days before killing herself and her husband, comic Phil Hartman, Brynn Hartman told friends of antidepressant side effects that made her feel “….like she was out of her skin.”

It has been well reported of the US, FDA (Food and Drug Administration) “Black Box” warning being prominently displayed on SSRI bottles, which warns about suicide risk. However, this fails to address the drugs’ propensity to cause murderous behaviour and adults and children are dying from them.

Dr David Healy, director of the North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine, who has undertaken extensive research of SSRI’s, concludes, “What is very very clear is that people do become hostile on the drugs”

While on a psychiatric drug known to cause “mania” and violent tendencies, Eric Harris and partner Dylan Klebold arrived to school and began shooting. When it was over 12 students and a teacher were dead; the pair then killed themselves

How many times have we seen recently reports of where individuals who had recently stopped “taking their medication” going out and committing an act of senseless violence. Consider the findings of Dr John Zajeck in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, that the agitation and irritability experienced by patients withdrawing from one SSRI can cause “aggressiveness and suicidal impulsivity”.

May 25 2001 an Australian judge blamed a psychiatric antidepressant for turning a peaceful, law-abiding man, David Hawkins into a violent killer. Consider also the case of Michael Hutchence, found dead in his bedroom after having hanged himself following a lethal mixture of alcohol and a suicide / violence inducing antidepressant.

In 2003 and 2004, regulatory agencies in Britain, Australia, Canada, Europe and the US warned doctors not to prescribe these mood altering drugs because of the risk of suicide, now in 2005 at long last the appropriate action has been taken to prevent further heartache anger and trauma for the families of, and those individuals that are labelled with “Depression”.

CCHR has actively been campaigning against the psychiatric drugging of children since 1969, it was established by Dr Thomas Szasz Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, and members of the Church of Scientology.

Chris Wrapson (Volunteer)
Media Relations Officer
Citizens Commission on Human Rights Birmingham
chris@cchr.org.uk or info@cchr.org.uk