Hearing Debates Link Between Psychiatric Drugs and Veterans' Suicide

Truthout - Psychiatrists and mental health experts spoke about the relationship between medication and veterans' suicide when the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hosted a committee hearing on the topic on Wednesday. Although speakers offered different views on whether antidepressants help to decrease veterans' chances of committing suicide, there was agreement that suicide is a topic of concern, as suicide rates climb among young veterans who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bob Filner, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said, "The purpose of today's hearing is to explore the potential relationship, if any, between psychiatric medications and suicides. With post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) being the signature wounds of the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental health issues have naturally taken centerstage. Research has shown that mental disorders and substance-abuse disorders are linked to more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide. Today, suicides among service members and veterans continue to increase at an alarming rate, far exceeding the comparable suicide rates among the general population. Read more.