Many of the mass shootings in the United States (US) over the last few decades – including the Columbine School shooting, Virginia Tech massacre, and the Colorado movie theater shooting – were carried out by individuals known to be taking psychotropic prescription drugs. This, of course leads to the questions, what role do these pharmaceuticals play in the rise of mass shootings?
Is there a link between psychotropics, particularly antidepressants, and shocking acts of public violence?
Over the last 25 years, the market for psychotropic drugs has exploded, especially in the category of antidepressants. In the US between the years 1989 and 1992, the number of prescriptions for antidepressantsincreased from 2.5 million to 33.2 million. That’s an increase of 1328%. As of mid 2014, over 41 million people in the US are taking antidepressants, including the common brands Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Luvox, Wellbutrin, and others.
Mass shootings in the US have also increased significantly, especially since the year 2000. From December 2000 to 2013, 1,043 people in the US were wounded or killed by “active shooters” attempting to kill people “in a confined and populated area” (excluding domestic violence and gang shootings). The FBI reports that between 2007 and 2013, on average there were 16.4 such shootings per year.
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