Families and communities deserve answers on the role psychotropic drugs and treatments may have in senseless acts of violence—an issue too long suppressed by vested interests.
By Jan Eastgate
President CCHR International
September 9, 2025
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been directed to investigate studies to shed light on the link between psychiatric drugs, particularly SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) antidepressants, and violence, including homicides and suicides. This is not a trivial inquiry, because for decades, grieving families and communities have been left without answers, while vested interests within the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industries have resisted any serious discussion of drug-violence links.
Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR, states: “The significance of the NIH investigation lies in its potential to at least open a conversation that has long been silenced: how mind-altering drugs, prescribed to millions, may contribute to acts of senseless violence—not only mass shootings, but also stabbings and other assaults that devastate lives.”
Eastgate adds, “Investigating this issue does not mean excusing criminal behavior. It is about transparency, accountability, and a willingness to look at all possible causes instead of protecting commercial psychiatric-pharmaceutical interests. Senseless violence may have many factors, but ignoring the influence of prescription psychotropics—despite regulatory warnings and clinical evidence—is reckless.
“Families who have lost loved ones, and communities that live in fear, deserve a comprehensive investigation. To dismiss this link outright is to deny them both answers and hope for prevention.”