Posted by brynb on August 8, 2012, at 9:59:41
In reply to Re: Psych meds, media + killing sprees, posted by SLS on August 7, 2012, at 20:45:56
It's definitely not black/white and it raises so many questions.
Scott, I agree that people would be quick to blame the AD and less likely to fault the AP.
If he were only being treated w/ ADs, I think the public will (wrongly) cite this as another "casualty" of someone going "crazy" due to the adverse effects of the overprescribed and "unnecessary" ADs. In fact, I read another blog where the author (who was seemingly intelligent in his/her writing style) moronically called for everyone to "get of psych drugs now" and to go out and get some sunshine instead. (Thanks for the pearls of wisdom--next time I can't leave my bed I'll book a trip to St. Tropez.)
And then there's the misconception that ALL people with Schizophrenia and/or Bipolar are violent; that those who take anything but SSRIs have "real" problems (because if you're only on an SSRI, you're probably not THAT depressed, and Big Pharma's just making money off of you like everyone else). The author makes an interesting commentary when he points to the rise of AP use in prisons because, well, they sometimes make people feel altered/high/sedated/etc., which is certainly one way to spend your time behind bars. And that, of course, leads to incorrect statistics on mentally ill prisoners and the possible link to violent crime.
Also, the Cortisone reference is a good one. I have bad asthma and often need to take Prednisone. I'm on it right now, in fact. It's a great anti-inflammatory, but wow, it really messes you up in the head! Last time I needed to go to the ER for an asthma attack, the doc told me they see people come in all of the time for steroid-induced psychosis. Yet, we never here about it.
Ultimately, it's just really sad. I saw an article about the shooter titled "Crazy, But Not Insane". Thought that made sense. At the end of the day, if indeed he was even on anything at all, Holmes is just one of so many who take meds and/or have mental illness. And most of us aren't running around killing people.
poster:brynb
thread:1022843
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120803/msgs/1022880.html