Posted on 11/10/2018 9:58:42 AM PST by deandg99
Another tragic mass shooting has taken place and, as usual, both sides are using it to further their political agenda. As the left blames guns and the right blames mental illness, both sides are completely missing the elephant in the room. If Ian David Long was diagnosed with PTSD, as reported, he was likely prescribed a slew of medications from the VA which have been tied to most every mass shooting in recent history.
According to his neighbors and family, Long suffered from PTSD. While those who suffer from PTSD can have a myriad of horrific symptoms, homicidal ideation is not one of them. However, the drugs the VA doles out to treat PTSD most certainly carry warnings just like this.
Like many of the recent mass shooters, Long was visited by police for acting irrational and displaying signs of aggression and violence before the shooting. He was most recently visited by police in April after neighbors reported hearing him screaming and sounds like he “was tearing down the walls with a hammer.”
(Excerpt) Read more at dcclothesline.com ...
This article is not garbage. Finally, someone id hitting the nail on the head. The problem here is not guns and it is not PTSD. The problem is the alphabet soup of drugs the VA was treating him with was highly likely for just such an outcome, and the VA will know exactly what they were, when someone brings this aspect to the fore.
Here is a prophetic article from Military Times, back five years ago:
Excerpts:
At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug.Read the whole article, at the risk of showing that your opinion may be ill-informed.
And many troops are taking more than one kind, mixing several pills in daily "cocktails" — for example, an antidepressant with an antipsychotic to prevent nightmares, plus an anti-epileptic to reduce headaches — despite minimal clinical research testing such combinations.
The drugs come with serious side effects: They can impair motor skills, reduce reaction times and generally make a war fighter less effective. Some double the risk for suicide, prompting doctors — and Congress — to question whether these drugs are connected to the rising rate of military suicides.
"It's really a large-scale experiment. We are experimenting with changing people's cognition and behavior," said Dr. Grace Jackson, a former Navy psychiatrist.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Combinations of drugs pose another risk. Doctors note that most drugs are tested as a single treatment, not as one ingredient in a mixture of medications.
"In the case of poly-drug use - the 'cocktail' — where you are combining an antidepressant, an anticonvulsant, an antipsychotic, and maybe a stimulant to keep this guy awake — that has never been tested," Breggin said.
Newcomer agreed. "When we go to the literature and try to find support for these complex cocktails, we're not going to find it," he said. "As the number of medications goes up, the probability of adverse events like hospitalization or death goes up exponentially."
“They don’t even name the drugs prescribed”
I guess they are referring to a class of common anti-depressants - Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI), which a lot of non-ideological (psycho) mass shooters were prescribed when they did their shootings. Not just for PTSD - a lot of High School kids are given these as well.
Citalopram (Celexa)
Escitalopram (Lexapro)
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva)
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Vilazodone (Viibryd)
Not in America. Punishment for "pre-crime" belongs in totalitarian kakistocracies ... you'd make a good democRAT.
Is Level 5 high?
Lyrica is like candy.
That and Gabapentin are the most successful placebos in history.
Along with most every other SSRI.
NOW scientists think it’s DOPAMINE shortage that causes depression, not so much serotonin.
Forget that 95 percent of severely depressed people get better on their own in 5 years.
There is an argument for the VA to prescribe Marinol (marijuana extract) for PTSD (not currently allowed, although studied), instead of these SSRIs/SSNIs, but that has its drawbacks too. People could get intoxicated, crash cars, or become unproductive.
SSRIs work for a lot of people. Although this side effect (mass murder sprees) is rare, it is hard to imagine a worse possible side effect.
They all effect neurotransmitter levels in the brain. The anti-depressants in question lower Serotonin or Norepinephrine, Marinol raises Dopamine.
Excellent comment.
“They do push these drugs at the VA.”
They DO.
Data shows about a 75-80% efficacy for treating PTSD.
No mention of the other 20-25%. But I’m pretty sure the vet is SUPPOSED to make follow-up visits and report any unusual side effects. And the docs are supposed to pester them for it.
Still, many vets respond very well to cannabis treatment without the very dangerous side effects.
SSRIs and Benzodiazipines should only be introduced if pot, exercise and group therapy don’t work.
And alcohol should be banned entirely for the PTSD patient. This because it immediately suppresses symptoms, but requires ever increasing doses. And the sober times are far more severe for the ailment.
Thank you.
Deployed to Afghanistan as a contractor back in 2010. Was issued a years supply of anti malarial mefloquine. Was instructed to take one a day. 3 days in I stopped taking them due to experiencing horrifically evil and lucid dreams. I asked some of the fellows accompanying me if they experienced any strange dreams, and found out that I wasn’t the only one there who experienced this.
That’s nasty! I’ve heard of people undergoing surgery, conscious and feeling pain but too paralyzed to move or cry out. Terrible...good luck with your issue.
I’m a vet, and I realize. I was mocking the authors use of the word “Likely”, which tells me up front the author doesn’t have anything pertinent to contribute to this shooting, but speculation.
First off, I have a friend who did 3 tours in the sand box... came back, remains a detective to this day. I served.. living my life. Retired from the job. He asked me ,what is up with this PTSD, are the new kids all a bunch of wusses these days? Makes you wonder if this whole PTSD thing is just another way to peddle narcotics!
It is fine as long as they hit me with a lot more anesthesia. All anesthesiologists know this, if the person has red hair, beard. But I only have blonde hair. 2 of my kids have red though.
I’m a combat vet, did two tours in the sandbox, and retired from the Army. We had a lot of training on PTSD, have friends with it, and have it myself. I find your comment incredibly ignorant.
Vietnam Vets have a rate of PTSD of about 12% , while OIF/OEF veterans show a rate of about 20%. Why the increase?. There are many hypothesis but the two I think account for this increase is that more service members are surviving horrific wounds(losing two or three limbs) and these wars are the first long wars to be fought by the first divorce generation. One of many risk factors for developing PTSD is a dysfunctional childhood and therefor many of theses vets don’t have the strong childhood foundation that is created by being raised by loving, married, parents.
There is evidence, though, that some meds given to distraught people actually give them the courage to commit horrible acts rather than just fantasize about them. I am not relating that evidence to this case at all but we can’t ignore that fact.
We need first of all to have a much tighter rein on freedom for people who are at risk of harming themselves and others. Maybe it necessitates panels drawn like juries from a pool of varying health and morality* professionals.
*maybe religious or other spiritual professionals added to psychologists and shrinks
I don’t see anything in the article that says this person was treated at the VA so why the speculation about it?
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