Summarised by Centrist
Antidepressants are increasingly prescribed, with 1 in 8 Americans using them. Young people, especially, are subject to suicide risk.
The Epoch Times details a $16 billion ($26 billion NZD) industry, in the US, full of horror stories of both children and adults suddenly committing suicide or wanting to kill or harm others after being prescribed serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping. SSRIs are marketed under brands such as Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil.
Critics like Dr Peter Gøtzsche accuse trial studies of misreporting risks and exaggerating benefits, casting doubt on approvals. Off-label use fuels the multi-billion-dollar market, raising concerns about efficacy.
Questions persist over whether SSRIs really work or offer merely a placebo effect. Despite FDA-mandated black box warnings and investigations, doubts linger about drug safety.
Dr Many Vieten, a clinical psychologist who specialises in working with warfighters says:
“I realised that a lot of what I was fed in graduate school was provided by parties that were not impartial, like pharmaceutical companies. Hiding in plain sight was the fact that people getting on antidepressants and killing themselves was a very common outcome.”
