Dr. Peter Breggin, MD was asked to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on the link between antidepressants and suicide. He provided a detailed analysis emphasizing the science that demonstrates a causal relationship between the newer antidepressants and the production of suicide, violence, mania and other behavioral abnormalities. He emhasized the considerable risk in giving these drugs to heavily armed young men and women.
The newer antidepressants frequently cause suicide, violence, and manic-like symptoms of activation or overstimulation, presenting serious hazards to active-duty soldiers who carry weapons under stressful conditions. These antidepressant-induced symptoms of activation can mimic post-traumatic stress disorder, and are likely to worsen this common disorder in soldiers, increasing the hazard when they are prescribed to military personnel. Antidepressants should not be prescribed to soldiers during or after deployment.
View video of Dr. Breggin’s testimony (26 min)
Written testimony: Antidepressant-Induced Suicide, Violence, and Mania: Risks for Military Personnel
