Drugs, be they self medications or prescribed, are not a help for those who've developed PTS especially in giving to soldiers and sending them back into theater or if there out on patrols. Thirty some odd years of our brother Vietnam Vets, mostly self mediations, show the proof of just that!
Overmedication contributes to military suicides, advocates say
13 August 2010 - The suicide rate among military veterans has ballooned in recent years, in part because of overmedication of service members and a lack of support for veterans, advocates for treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder said Thursday.
Psychiatrists sometimes prescribe drugs as a cure without an actual understanding of what the drugs do, said Dr. Peter R. Breggin, a psychiatrist and author from Ithaca, N.Y.
In 2008, the Army's suicide rate -- 20.2 per 100,000 -- exceeded the civilian suicide rate for the first time. The civilian suicide rate has held steady for years at about 18 per 100,000, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Breggin and seven panelists addressed a crowd of about 50 therapists, social workers, members of the state Veterans Affairs department, in addition to service members and their families at the 2010 PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury Education and Awareness Conference. Continued
Overmedication contributes to military suicides, advocates say">
12 August 2010 - Psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants and anxiety medication, alter the chemical balance in the brain, disrupt the release of serotonin and, in many cases, have the same effect as street drugs, Breggin said.
Patients using psychiatric drugs have experienced psychotic and violent behavior, attempted suicide and are unable to think clearly, Breggin said.
Mary Lahas talked about her son, Michael, who she said stuck IV needles into his arms in a suicide attempt. Continued
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