In what some prominent critics have called a bonanza for the drug companies, the American Psychiatric Association this month voted to drop the old warning against diagnosing depression in the bereaved, opening the way for more of them to be diagnosed with major depression — and thus, treated with antidepressants. The change in the handbook, which could have significant financial implications for the $10 billion U.S. antidepressant market, was developed in large part by people affiliated with the pharmaceutical industry, an examination of financial disclosures shows.

It is no secret that prescription drugs, notably antidepressants, can make psychiatric patients worse, not better and even precipitate violence. SSRI antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil are so linked to violence, they were given the FDA’s highest warning in 2004, a black box, for the suicidal risks they can create in young adults.

Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ‘‘The Man versus the Therapeutic State,’’ by Jacob Sullivan of Reason magazine. This piece pays tribute to Dr. Thomas Szasz, who passed away on September 8th of this year. Dr. Szasz, a trained psychiatrist, was the leading opponent of what he labeled the ‘‘therapeutic state.’’ For over fifty years, in 35 books, and hundreds of articles, Dr. Szasz defended human liberty and dignity against modern psychiatry.

Ann Blake-Tracy, author and Executive Director of International Coalition for Drug Awareness, says, “After spending 20 plus years working to wake up the world to the most extreme dangers of antidepressants this last shooting makes me angry at a society that continues to allow prescription medications on the market that have listed side effects of both homicidal & suicidal ideation in their warnings. Why is that acceptable when we have documented involvement of antidepressants in 67 cases of school shootings in our database of cases at www.ssristories.com. Although these drugs are most similar in action to PCP (Angel Dust) they continue to be widely prescribed and are the most commonly prescribed drugs for Aspergers which this shooter was diagnosed with.”