CCHR NEW ENGLAND PETITIONS CONGRESS TO INVESTIGATE PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGGING OF MILITARY VETERANS

        MONDAY:  The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) New England conducted a petition drive on Memorial Day on the Boston Commons—obtaining over 200 signatures of people supporting a request that the United States House Veterans Affairs Committee launch an investigation with public hearings into the potential link between psychiatric drugs and the epidemic of veteran suicides, “sudden deaths” and the mass violence of the recent Fort Hood and Navy Yard shootings.  Both of these shooters were taking prescribed psychiatric drugs just prior to the shootings.

         “Veteran Affairs spends millions of dollars on psychiatric drugs that veterans have testified cause serious adverse effects, including violent and suicidal thoughts,” said Kevin Hall, CCHR New England Director. “There is sufficient evidence and concern about these adverse events to warrant a Congressional investigation.”

While there is speculation about what is behind these tragedies, the all too common denominator of prescribed psychiatric drugs can no longer be overlooked.

        CCHR has collected the following information in support of the petition:

• There are hundreds of sudden cardiac arrest (“sudden death”) among veterans that have been prescribed cocktails of psychotropic drugs.
• 22 veterans per day are committing suicide.
• Researchers publishing in Public Library of Science (PLOS) ONE identified 25 psychiatric drugs disproportionately associated with violence, including physical assault and homicide. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0015337
• There are 49 international drug-regulatory agency warnings about psychiatric drugs causing suicidal thoughts and 22 warnings of violent behavior, including homicidal acts.

• An estimated 90% of school shooters were users of antidepressants. These same drugs are prescribed to at least 6% of our servicemen and women.

• A Veteran Affairs study found 80% of vets diagnosed with PTSD were given psychiatric drugs; of these 89% were treated with antidepressants.

CCHR’s petition calls on lawmakers to help members of the Armed Forces and veterans by investigating the role of psychiatric drug use and withdrawal as they relate to veteran suicides, sudden deaths and violence. 

The group’s report on psychiatric drug use in the military was submitted to the US Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs Hearing on “Overmedication: Problems and Solutions” on April 30, 2014 and is on record at: http://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings/overmedication-problems-and-solutions

CCHR’s petition is also available to view online: https://www.change.org/petitions/congressional-investigation-into-psychiatric-drugs-in-military-suicides-and-sudden-deaths

CITIZENS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS is a nonprofit mental health watchdog established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and the late Prof. Thomas Szasz of New York Upstate University’s Health Science Center.  It recently produced a multi-award-winning documentary about military psychiatric drugging and suicides, The Hidden Enemy, which can be viewed at: cchr.org/vets.