Are guns to blame?

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The shootings at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT, were shocking. Everyone feels that viscerally. But the rush to blame guns and the gun culture in the US is, at the very least, only a part of the issue.

In the first place, none of the guns used in this incident were illegal and nothing that President Obama has done with his nearly two dozen Executive Orders would have changed that.

Secondly, there has been precious little discussion about the impact that mental health had in this case.  Relatives have said the shooter was on some form of medication for “depression.” So, we can assume some sort of psychotropic prescription pills.

The more we look at other similar events it would seem a pattern emerges. A law enforcement friend sent me the following chart. While I haven’t personally verified all of the information, I did have a look at a sampling and it seems accurate. Regardless, a pattern emerges that bears discussion.

The Sandy Hook shootings have ignited a gun debate that is polarizing America and is causing politicians to do something for no better reason than to be seen as doing something in the midst of the debate. But new legislation or Executive Orders, no matter how well thought out, will only guide the behaviour of the law abiding.

And no matter where you stand in the gun debate, this chart indicates what the real debate should be about. The prolific use of psychotropic meds is a relatively recent phenomena. It goes along with diagnoses of  things like ADD and FAS.

I’m no physician, but in my school days ADD was dealt with by a cuff behind the ear not psychotropic meds. If we are going to have a gun debate, that’s fine as long as we talk about all contributing factors. And this chart shows an incredible common denominator that is being ignored.

 

WhatDrugDate     WhereAdditional
School ShootingProzac WITHDRAWAL2008-02-15Illinois** 6 Dead: 15 Wounded: Perpetrator Was in Withdrawal from Med & Acting Erratically
School ShootingProzac Antidepressant2005-03-24Minnesota**10 Dead: 7 Wounded: Dosage Increased One Week before Rampage
School ShootingPaxil [Seroxat] Antidepressant2001-03-10Pennsylvania**14 Year Old GIRL Shoots & Wounds Classmate at Catholic School
School ShootingZoloft Antidepressant & ADHD Med2011-07-11Alabama**14 Year Old Kills Fellow Middle School Student
School ShootingZoloft Antidepressant1995-10-12South Carolina**15 Year Old Shoots Two Teachers, Killing One: Then Kills Himself
School ShootingMed For Depression2009-03-13Germany**16 Dead Including Shooter: Antidepressant Use: Shooter in Treatment For Depression
School Hostage SituationMed For Depression2010-12-15France**17 Year Old with Sword Holds 20 Children & Teacher Hostage
School Shooting PlotMed For Depression WITHDRAWAL2008-08-28Texas**18 Year Old Plots a Columbine School Attack
School ShootingAnafranil Antidepressant1988-05-20Illinois**29 Year Old WOMAN Kills One Child: Wounds Five: Kills Self
School ShootingLuvox/Zoloft Antidepressants1999-04-20Colorado**COLUMBINE: 15 Dead: 24 Wounded
School StabbingsAntidepressants2001-06-09Japan**Eight Dead: 15 Wounded: Assailant Had Taken 10 Times his Normal Dose of Depression Med
School ShootingProzac Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL1998-05-21Oregon**Four Dead: Twenty Injured
School StabbingMed For Depression2011-10-25Washington**Girl, 15, Stabs Two Girls in School Restroom: 1 Is In Critical Condition
School ShootingAntidepressant2006-09-30Colorado**Man Assaults Girls: Kills One & Self
School Machete AttackMed for Depression2001-09-26Pennsylvania**Man Attacks 11 Children & 3 Teachers at Elementary School
School Shooting RelatedLuvox1993-07-23Florida**Man Commits Murder During Clinical Trial for Luvox: Same Drug as in COLUMBINE: Never Reported
School Hostage SituationCymbalta Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL2009-11-09New York**Man With Gun Inside School Holds Principal Hostage
School ShootingAntidepressants1992-09-20Texas**Man, Angry Over Daughter’s Report Card, Shoots 14 Rounds inside Elementary School
School ShootingSSRI2010-02-19Finland**On Sept. 23, 2008 a Finnish Student Shot & Killed 9 Students Before Killing Himself
School Shooting ThreatMed for Depression*2004-10-19New Jersey**Over-Medicated Teen Brings Loaded Handguns to School
School ShootingAntidepressant?2007-04-18Virginia**Possible SSRI Use: 33 Dead at Virginia Tech
School ShootingAntidepressant?2002-01-17Virginia**Possible SSRI Withdrawal Mania: 3 Dead at Law School
School Incident/BizarreZoloft*2010-08-22Australia**School Counselor Exhibits Bizarre Behavior: Became Manic On Zoloft
School/AssaultAntidepressant2009-11-04California**School Custodian Assaults Student & Principal: Had Manic Reaction From Depression Med
School ShootingProzac Antidepressant1992-01-30Michigan**School Teacher Shoots & Kills His Superintendent at School
School Shooting ThreatsCelexa Antidepressant2010-01-25Virginia**Senior in High School Theatens to Kill 4 Classmates: Facebook Involved: Bail Denied
School Violence/MurderAntidepressants*1998-05-04New York**Sheriff’s Deputy Shoots his Wife in an Elementary School
School Knifing/MurderMeds For Depression & ADHD2010-04-28Massachusetts**Sixteen Year Old Kills 15 Year Old in High School Bathroom in Sept. 2009
School StabbingWellbutrin2006-12-04Indiana**Stabbing by 17 Year Old At High School: Charged with Attempted Murder
School ThreatAntidepressants2007-04-23Mississippi**Student Arrested for Making School Threat Over Internet
School SuspensionLexapro Antidepressant2007-07-28Arkansas**Student Has 11 Incidents with Police During his 16 Months on Lexapro
School ShootingAntidepressant WITHDRAWAL2007-11-07Finland**Student Kills 8: Wounds 10: Kills Self: High School in Finland
School ShootingPaxil [Seroxat] Antidepressant2004-02-09New York**Student Shoots Teacher in Leg at School
School ThreatProzac Antidepressant2008-01-25Washington**Student Takes Loaded Shotgun & 3 Rifles to School Parking Lot: Plans Suicide
School Shooting PlotMed For Depression1998-12-01Wisconsin**Teen Accused of Plotting to Gun Down Students at School
School/AssaultZoloft Antidepressant2006-02-15Tennessee**Teen Attacks Teacher at School
School Shooting ThreatAntidepressant1999-04-16Idaho**Teen Fires Gun in School
School Hostage SituationPaxil & Effexor Antidepressants2001-04-15Washington**Teen Holds Classmates Hostage with a Gun
School Hostage SituationAntidepressant WITHDRAWAL2006-11-28North Carolina**Teen Holds Teacher & Student Hostage with Gun
School Knife AttackMed for Depression2006-12-06Indiana**Teen Knife Attacks Fellow Student
School Massacre PlotProzac Withdrawal2011-02-23Virginia**Teen Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison For Columbine Style Plot
School ShootingCelexa & Effexor Antidepressants2001-04-19California**Teen Shoots at Classmates in School
School ShootingCelexa Antidepressant2006-08-30North Carolina**Teen Shoots at Two Students: Kills his Father: Celexa Found Among his Personal Effects
School ShootingMeds For Depression & ADHD2011-03-18South Carolina**Teen Shoots School Official: Pipe Bombs Found in Backpack
School Shooting ThreatAntidepressant2003-05-31Michigan**Teen Threatens School Shooting: Charge is Terrorism
School Stand-OffZoloft Antidepressant1998-04-13Idaho**Teen [14 Years Old] in School Holds Police At Bay: Fires Shots
School ShootingAntidepressant WITHDRAWAL2007-10-12
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2 COMMENTS

  1. Finally some information! After that shooting, my coworkers were having a discussion. I eventually spoke up, “why isn’t this attracting attention to mental illness? Why am I the first to ask that? Shouldn’t that be their focus?” Personally, I think they aren’t using this to help combat mental illness, and just want reasons to disarm their populace. Through the media, they will convince us we’re better off disarmed and all placed together, like everybody inside a large open-space mental institution.. mentally ill or not. Maybe its the default diagnosis; consider people crazy until proven otherwise. Treat everybody as crazy, and you don’t have to answer to anybody.

    Perhaps drugs companies should put further warnings of side-effects on their bottles. “WARNING: May cause homicidal killing sprees.” But hey, if it stops my leg from twitching, or makes my acne go away, so what if it creates psychopathic murderous conditions? These are not cheap drugs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the profits from mental illness medication comprise more than 80% of their revenue stream.

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