Reported suicides – more than 80 percent got psychiatric drugs, well over 50 percent got antidepressants
Stockholm, Sweden 10/07/2007 02:07 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Health care providers in Sweden are per a new
law required to report all suicides committed in health care
and up to four weeks after last health care visit. The
reports are sent to the National Board of Health and Welfare
for investigation.
367 suicides were reported per this law for
2006.
Data gotten via FOIA requests show:
More than 80 percent of persons committing suicide
were “treated” with psychiatric drugs; in well over 50
percent of the cases the persons got antidepressants, in
more than 60 neuroleptics or antidepressants.
This information has been concealed by senior
(psychiatric) officials at the National Board of Health and
Welfare. It was contrary to the best interests of Big Pharma
and biological psychiatrists. It blew the myths of
antidepressants and neuroleptics as suicide protecting drugs
to pieces. It would also have hurt the career of many
medical journalists to take up this subject; journalists who
for years have made their living by writing marketing
articles about new antidepressant drugs. So nothing has been
written about this in major media in Sweden.
Senior officials at the National Board of
Health and Welfare have relied on evaluations from
well-known Swedish SSRI proponents, (like psychiatrists G.
Isaksson, A.L. von Knorring) who for the last decade have
touted the new antidepressants as “life saving”. A senior
official said that “evidence based treatment of the
underlying psychiatric disorder can reduce the risk for
suicide”, referring to the “protective effect” that he
believed antidepressant drugs had. The data about the large
percentage of persons committing suicide, “treated” with
psychiatric drugs, were brushed aside by the official,
saying the data “cannot currently be seen as a
representative source for a discussion about these
questions” (!).
The agency has recently published its first
analysis of cases from 2006, reported per the new law
(Suicides 2006, reported per Lex Maria; in Swedish). Not a
single word is written about the most compelling fact: Well
over 80 percent of persons killing themselves were treated
with psychiatric drugs.
Instead of using this result to save lives
the result was hidden.
It was claimed: “Every investigated suicide where one can
see flaws that can be taken care of, can contribute to the
prevention of further suicides.”
Yet no
investigation at all was done in the suicide inducing effect
of antidepressants and neuroleptics.
At regional level at the agency there are
definitely officials wanting to do a good job and get at the
real facts of the scene. They are however betrayed by top
management. For example: The forms ordered to be used at
regional level when investigating suicide cases completely
omit factors about drug treatment.
A certain number of persons killing
themselves can be expected to be suffering from drug induced
akathisia – an extreme inner restlessness, a feeling of
having to creep out of ones skin, a completely unbearable
condition. It is created by the psychiatric drugs, not by
any “underlying disease”. Akathisia is a condition that can
make a person commit violent acts – against self or others.
It is a condition officially recognized and taken up in the
warning texts for the drugs. A number of persons have been
affected by mania or hypomania – again created by the drugs;
conditions also officially recognized; conditions that can
lead to suicide.
Some of the valid questions in an objective
investigation would be: Is the suicide an effect of an
unbearable condition created by the drugs (like akathisia)?
Has the drug dose been increased – with a catastrophic
result – when the worsened condition in actual fact was
caused by the drug (while being blamed on the “underlying
disease”)? Has the patient been subject to an abrupt
discontinuation (with severe withdrawal symptoms as the
result)? Is the catastrophic result very likely caused by
concomitant use of psychiatric drugs? Has the patient been
informed about the serious harmful effects that these drugs
can cause?
None of these questions are part of the form
worked out by senior officials at the
National Board of Health
and Welfare.
These questions would – if asked and the
answers used – save lives. But they would also threaten the
profits of Big Pharma and the careers of their hired
psychiatrists. Therefore they cannot be asked.
Janne Larsson
writer – investigating psychiatry
Sweden
janne.olov.larsson@telia.com
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