🧵RFK Jr. is catching intense heat for suggesting SSRIs may contribute to violence after the Minneapolis shooting.
The backlash has been swift—but the scientific literature tells a more complex story than critics acknowledge.
What the data actually shows in support of @RobertKennedyJr and the MAHA movement's concerns might surprise you 👇
1⃣Sweden's massive registry study of 856,493 SSRI users found young people (15-24) had 43% higher violent crime convictions while on the drugs. The same individuals showed more violence during periods ON medication vs OFF.
No matter how much Pharma and politicians want studies like this to disappear, this isn't speculation—it's epidemiology. And it is only the tip of a long submerged, yet now surfacing iceberg.
📍Molero, Y., Lichtenstein, P., Zetterqvist, J., Gumpert, C. H., & Fazel, S. (2015). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and violent crime: A cohort study. PLOS Medicine, 12(9), e1001875.
🔗journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/a…
2⃣One plausible mechanism? SSRIs profoundly disrupt REM sleep. Cleveland Clinic (2024) found users had up to 18.7% of REM sleep without paralysis—meaning they literally act out violent dreams.
6% develop full REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, attacking spouses in their sleep.
3⃣Then there's akathisia—unbearable inner restlessness affecting 5-10% of users.
Dr. Lucire studied 10 homicide cases: all had no violence history, all had genetic variants causing toxic drug buildup, all returned to normal after stopping the medication.
Go deeper:
📍Lucire, Y., & Crotty, C. (2011). Antidepressant-induced akathisia-related homicides associated with diminishing mutations in metabolizing genes of the CYP450 family. Pharmgenomics and Personalized Medicine, 4, 65-81.
🔗ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
5⃣Courts are recognizing this. Since 2001, multiple cases accepted "involuntary intoxication" defenses:
👉Donald Schell Case (2001) - Wyoming Tobin v. SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals:
♦️Jury verdict found Paxil 80% responsible for murders
♦️$6.4 million awarded to surviving family
♦️First major case establishing pharmaceutical liability for SSRI-induced violence
👉Mary Baymiller (2011) - Nevada State of Nevada v. Mary Baymiller, Case No. CR11-0267:
♦️72-year-old stabbed husband 200+ times while on Paxil, Ativan, Ambien
♦️Judge ruled conduct was "directly and proximately caused by the combination of mood altering medications"
♦️Sentenced to probation instead of prison
♦️Court explicitly recognized medication-induced state
👉Christopher Pittman (2001/2005) - South Carolina State of South Carolina v. Christopher Pittman:
♦️12-year-old killed grandparents while on Zoloft
♦️Initially convicted, later sentence reduced after SSRI evidence presented
♦️Court recognized "prescription drug side effects" as mitigating factor
👉Cory Baadsgaard (2001) - Washington State
16-year-old held class hostage with rifle on Paxil/Effexor:
♦️No memory of event (had missed a dose)
♦️Court recognized "prescription drug side effects" in sentencing
The pattern across verified cases shows courts increasingly accepting expert testimony on SSRI-induced akathisia and altered mental states as legitimate defenses or mitigating circumstances.
6⃣School shooters and mass violence linked to SSRIs:
♦️Eric Harris (Columbine, 1999) - Luvox
♦️Jeff Weise (Red Lake, 2005) - Prozac
♦️Christopher Pittman (2001) - Zoloft
♦️Kip Kinkel (Springfield, 1998) - Prozac
♦️James Holmes (Aurora, 2012) - Zoloft
♦️Steven Kazmierczak (NIU, 2008) - Prozac withdrawal
♦️Nikolas Cruz (Parkland, 2018) - antidepressants
♦️Cory Baadsgaard (2001) - Paxil/Effexor
♦️T.J. Solomon (Heritage HS, 1999) - Ritalin/antidepressants
♦️Matti Saari (Finland, 2008) - SSRIs
♦️Pekka-Eric Auvinen (Finland, 2007) - SSRIs
Pattern: Violence often occurs during medication initiation, dose changes, or abrupt discontinuation—all periods of neurochemical instability.
7⃣40-60% of SSRI users report emotional blunting. Cambridge study: 46% reduction in recognizing facial expressions. Brain scans show reduced activation in empathy centers.
One psychiatrist: "Like ketamine dissociation but milder—they're not there to regulate themselves."
8⃣Japan warned about this in 2009. FDA has quietly added "aggression" warnings to multiple SSRIs since 2020. But no black box warning like for suicide.
Dr. Healy: "If regulators were independent, every SSRI would warn: 'May cause akathisia, suicidality, violence.'"
9⃣Pharma/psychiatry aligned critics say the risks are far too low to be concerned. In fact, they spin it claiming under-diagnosis and insufficient treatment with SSRIs is driving INCREASED violence.
But the "vulnerable few"—young people, poor metabolizers, those with undiagnosed bipolar—face real risks.
The tragedy? Safer alternatives exist: exercise (as effective per BMJ), saffron (matches SSRIs in trials), psilocybin (a breakthrough treatment), therapy, and hundreds of other natural approaches.
Explore saffron: 🔗sayerji.substack.com/p/6-studies-on…
Explore Psilocybin 🔗sayerji.substack.com/p/beyond-psych…
We owe it to the victims—and future patients—to have this conversation honestly. Not sensationalism, not denial. Just science.
Full investigation: sayerji.substack.com/p/the-serotoni…
The question isn't IF these drugs can trigger violence, or IF there are safe, natural and effective alternatives. It's why we took 80 years to listen.
Follow my work here: 🔗 campsite.bio/sayerji Lost 2M followers in 2021 for questioning narratives. Still uncovering truths that matter.
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