2 thoughts on “Psych Drugs to Blame for So Much”

  1. I know you’re a clear-thinking person, so you probably have considered this, but if someone is on a psychiatric drug, it gets hard to statistically “tease out” cause and effect. You need big samples and rigorous controls. You can’t data mine old studies. In other words, maybe if they weren’t on Zoloft or whatever, maybe they would have killed themselves sooner. People on antidepressants kill themselves, but depressed people kill themselves. Which is the cause? Do the drugs just mask the underlying problem?

    And the problem with my argument is that you’d need many thousands of school shooters to conclude that to the kind of certainty that would be demanded, which (of course) is unacceptable. Further, the absolute fact is that the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is for a good guy with a gun to be there.

    The problem that is never discussed, and here I put on my “olde farte” hat, is that these drugs – even if they were perfect – may be keeping kids from developing what we old timers call “character”. While I fully understand there are real brain chemistry issues that may require medication, these things seem to be massively over used. I read once they’re prescribed up to 20 times more here than in other countries. Trouble paying attention? Take this! Depressed because that boy/girl rejected you? Take this! Not “suck it up, it builds character”. Afraid of embarrassing yourself in band? Take this pill! Not practice harder, or work harder, or just plain “everybody gets that”. It’s one reason I oppose marijuana for kids. I’ve seen too many 40-something stoners living mom’s spare room, who never developed “character” as a child.

    Just food for thought…

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