can zoloft or other antidepressants make people commit murder?

[karyn]

from cnn

Defense doctor: Zoloft could have led youth to kill
From Jim Polk
CNN
Friday, February 4, 2005 Posted: 5:21 PM EST (2221 GMT)

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- A psychiatrist testified Friday that he believes the antidepressant drug Zoloft could have prompted a boy to kill his grandparents three years ago.

"I think there is a very strong argument that can be made that the drug caused the problem," Dr. David Healy testified for the defense at the double murder trial of Christopher Pittman.

Prosecutors say Pittman shot his grandparents, Joe and Joy Pittman, in November 2001 when he was 12 because they had disciplined him. Defense attorneys say the boy was hallucinating because of a dose of Zoloft when he shot his sleeping grandparents in their home outside Chester, South Carolina.

Pittman, who was diagnosed with a low level of depression, had been given only a starter-level dosage of the antidepressant.

Under cross-examination Friday, Healy told prosecutors, "I do not believe he [Pittman] had the mental capacity to tell right from wrong."

That is the key issue before the jury. Pittman, now 15, is being tried as an adult on two charges of murder that could send him to prison for 30 years to life if he is convicted.

The defense has acknowledged it was the boy who carried a shotgun into his grandparents' bedroom and fired four times.

Since then, the Food and Drug Administration has warned doctors that antidepressants such as Zoloft can cause suicidal behavior among some children, but it has never linked such antidepressants to violence toward others.

Pfizer, which makes Zoloft, says there is no scientific evidence that its drug causes violence by either adults or children.

Zoloft is not approved for treatment of children with depression, but nevertheless is widely prescribed by many doctors. However, Healy testified that Zoloft and similar drugs can cause aggression and anxiety -- and they can lead to violence.

The prosecution contends Pittman waited for his grandparents to go to bed, carefully loaded the shotgun and shot the couple, then set fire to the house and drove away with his dog.

Psychiatrist Dr. James Ballenger testified for the prosecution a day earlier that the boy was furious with his grandfather because he threatened to send him back to an unhappy home in Florida after he got into a fight on a school bus. (Thursday's testimony)

The trial recessed at midafternoon Friday and will enter its second week Monday morning.

Pittman was released Thursday into custody of relatives after more than three years behind bars in a state juvenile facility. He will remain out on bond only until the trial is over, probably by the end of next week.

[killerkat]

shit, if techno can make me murder, im sure that can to others..........haha....

[Amelia G]

Wasn't one of the shooters in Columbine on Zoloft prescribed off-use for his juvenile depression?

[One Eyed Cat]

Wasn't one of the shooters in Columbine on Zoloft prescribed off-use for his juvenile depression?

Eric Harris was on some sort of antidepressant and other psychiatric drugs. He wrote in his journal that it helped him concentrate his rage. The rate of suicide supposedly increases on those drugs also. I've often wondered if they might give people more energy without solving the underlying problems.

OEC

[OliX]

what antidepressant to a 12 years old?!?!?

where are we heading

[hewhoisagod]

Do people not believe in spanking anymore. WTF?

[Jax]

I believe it. Just from personal experiences of not remember my actions, but apparantly chased my friend around with a butcher knife. Needless to say, Id rather deal with whatever than take those drugs.

[Tequila Zaire]

Do people not believe in spanking anymore. WTF?

They do but if you spank a kid it can be seen as some sort of cruel act of chile abuse. Something I don't agree with...some kids need a spanking at times.

[Amelia G]

I'm not a big fan of spanking or drugging your children into submission. I think it is vital to actually instill values in your child which become core to who the child grows up to be. People who behave a certain way out of fear or inability to analyze their surroundings are unlikely to grown up as very good members of society.

I really don't think it is a good idea to drug young children unless the problems are really extreme. There is so much hormonal and endocrine system involvement in growing up that we don't really understand that I think it is madness to overmedicate the really young.

I got taken out of class and tested all the time in grade school. If I were in elementary school today, I'm sure someone would be trying to force pills down my throat. Actual diagnosis: Once I learned to read, I rapidly went from reading at my grade level to reading on a college level and I was uninterested in math and bored by school and much more interested in reading books during class.

[Wickedanima]

Yet another case study that proves that screwing around with the brain is a BAD idea. The woman who killed her childeren was on Prozac, and further more a friend of mine nearly killed a family member on the same drug. Why does no one in the drug industry think its a bad thing to induce sosiopathy?

I'm never for anti-depressants, unless its a rare case that makes someone functional that would have been put away before. I've seen too many friends who lost their artistic talents on the drug. It makes me scared that so many people are more willing to make themselves 'normal' or able to deal with the Bull Shit of living the suburbian slave lifestyle. Not everyone is cut out for that, and a drug that makes you capable of doing so at the cost of your moral stability or talent is flat out wrong.

If fear deeply for kids that are like I was. Precosious, intelligent, and artisticly inclined. Peace and quiet should not be a normal part of childhood. Childeren should be challenging. Have we lost a whole generation of artists, actors, writers and musicians because our adults don't have the heart to deal with a child acting normally?

[spdstsposeo]

I thought zoloft was for anxiety...that's why they give it to me for...?

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

Any time you alter someone's brain chemistry there is a chance of side effects. Someone on antidepresents should be monitored, especially children. The thing is, to often the drug is given without close observation. However, most of the cases where zoloft is blamed there have been other factors involved. For instance, the woman who killed her kids was on zoloft, and a small pharmacy of other drugs, her dad had just died, and her husband thought another baby would fix her.

This does not rule out the possibility of the drug triggering the breakdown. Different people have different reactions to different drugs. I am ok on zoloft, but there is a generic brand that had some really bad side effects on me. Zoloft is a tool, it is not some sort of happy pill that magically makes things better. If it is used carefully, like any medicine should be, it can be a good thing.

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

I thought zoloft was for anxiety...that's why they give it to me for...?

Zoloft is a select serotonan reuptake inhibitor. It is primarilly used to treat depression, but it is also used in smaller doses to treat anxiety and panic disorders. The long term effects on nervous disorders is not as well studied and I am not very familiar with them.

[CPRB]

Yeah I will be honest I have had Zoloft....till I had I had always been very nervouse shy and full of anxiety and depression I felt fine the first time calm and I thought but not to much I felt like I was one dope but not as floaty. But after a while I found if this calmes was irked in the smallest way i became ireatble and I went off it. I got a book on Ntaural cures and tried those I have been happy ever since but during that time I upped my exercise and breating techniques and downed my social time I ifnd just working out and staying active keeps me the most happy and level.....but I think all drug of that type cna have a negative effect. I try to have good core values due to some damn good parenting...if I dindd't i dunno where I would be...as Cafe-post_mordem said ot's chemicalsin the head and you should eb monitore while this is goojgn on I was and was lucky and my shrink knew I was smart and very intelligent and aware of who I was and when isaid no this is not working lets tryo something else we did and went the ntural way no side affects no wieght gain.....plus a job and a busy life help.

[Mirren]

Zoloft is indeed prescribed for anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Of course people kill and kill themselves on anti-depressants. Phil Hartman's wife Brynn was on Prozac when she killed him, then herself. Prozac seems quite dangerous when certain people take it and makes some extremely violent especially when mixed with other drugs.

[kellie]

SSRI medications shouldnt drive anyone to kill. Unless in some freak incident (1/10000000 cases or something) someone reacts really really badly. The effects on the brain from SSRI medications are not very strong, thats why doctors prescribe them like candy to everyone that has a complaint about their emotional state. Zoloft is one of the ones with lesser side effects.

Kids however, especially teenagers, their brains are going through so much shit already...I dont think they should be on medication. Unless they are actively hallucinating, or as a last resort to prevent harm to themselves or others. Most of these drugs have not been around long enough to see long term effects on the developing brain. I see doctors at my hospital prescribing kids strong medication like haldol and resperidol for temper tantrums. Its a shame.

[spdstsposeo]

Zoloft is a select serotonan reuptake inhibitor. It is primarilly used to treat depression, but it is also used in smaller doses to treat anxiety and panic disorders. The long term effects on nervous disorders is not as well studied and I am not very familiar with them.

I dunno..my psychiatrist is a quack i think anyway...every time he gives me a new pill..it does something wierd to me...and i tell him about it...he gives me ANOTHER one to counteract what's bothering me about the last medicine...before i told him to cut it down i was on like 7 pills a day...all for mental problems.

[CPRB]

I guess I'm lucky

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

Zoloft is indeed prescribed for anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Of course people kill and kill themselves on anti-depressants. Phil Hartman's wife Brynn was on Prozac when she killed him, then herself. Prozac seems quite dangerous when certain people take it and makes some extremely violent especially when mixed with other drugs.

Actually she was on zoloft, noy prozac. Also it is worth mentioning that the toxicology reports shpwed she also had alchohol and cocain in her system. Doctors generally recomend you don't drink while taking zoloft, and while they have never mentioned cocain specifically I would imagine that is on the bad list as well. Often when I do more research into murders and suicides caused by zoloft, other factors are involved. Again I stress if you are taking these drugs, have you friends and family keep an eye on you and tell your doctor about any side effect or wierd behavior you or they notice.

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

I dunno..my psychiatrist is a quack i think anyway...every time he gives me a new pill..it does something wierd to me...and i tell him about it...he gives me ANOTHER one to counteract what's bothering me about the last medicine...before i told him to cut it down i was on like 7 pills a day...all for mental problems.

I don't really know you or the doctor, so I can't say what is best. But if you are not happy with your doctor, try talking to another doctor. Yours might be on the right track, but a second opinion coun'd hurt if you are not getting better.