A person with mental problems is more likely to shoot up a school than a sane person. A person with mental problems is also more likely to be on some kind of antidepressant or antipsychotic. My take on that is that it is the mental problem that is the root cause.
That said, during the first month or so after a newly introduced antidepressant there is an increased risk for suicide or violent behaviour. The medication does not in itself introduce those thoughts and tendencies in the patient, they are there already. They simply make the patient better (not as often as we would like, but still) and more able to act on his thoughts, whatever they are. If a patient has a severe depression, those thoughts are usually a bit on the dark side. So before more normal thought patterns are established, shit can indeed go south. That is why a patient with a new psychiatric medication should have frequent follow-ups, something that isn't done nearly enough.
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storm69 ago
A person with mental problems is more likely to shoot up a school than a sane person. A person with mental problems is also more likely to be on some kind of antidepressant or antipsychotic. My take on that is that it is the mental problem that is the root cause.
That said, during the first month or so after a newly introduced antidepressant there is an increased risk for suicide or violent behaviour. The medication does not in itself introduce those thoughts and tendencies in the patient, they are there already. They simply make the patient better (not as often as we would like, but still) and more able to act on his thoughts, whatever they are. If a patient has a severe depression, those thoughts are usually a bit on the dark side. So before more normal thought patterns are established, shit can indeed go south. That is why a patient with a new psychiatric medication should have frequent follow-ups, something that isn't done nearly enough.