Researchers find “suicide” biomarker in PTSD brain scans – so why are they still prescribed drugs that INCREASE risk?

Antidepressants are easily one of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals available on the market today — even though they are known to cause a litany of harmful side effects, ranging from increasing the risk of diabetes to suicide. Newly published research has discovered a suicide biomarker in the brains of people with PTSD. While proponents of the pharmaceutical industry are reporting that this find could pave the way for new drugs, there are substantial concerns about the use of antidepressants in people who are already at risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Why are doctors so bent on prescribing drugs that may increase a patient’s risk of attempting suicide? More to the point, this new research is further proof that the pharma industry is actually clueless when it comes to how different mental health conditions may affect the brain — and the range of side effects their precious drugs may have.

PTSD on the brain

Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine recently published a study in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the study, the team used brain scans to study the levels of a certain biomarker, mGluR5, in their brains. Live Science reports the scientists recruited 29 people with PTSD, 29 people with depression who did not have PTSD, and 29 people with no diagnosed mental health conditions for their control group.

On the day of the brain scan, participants who reported having active suicidal thoughts (meaning they had a plan to kill themselves and wanted to die) were excluded from the study and were taken for immediate medical attention. Those who reported more “passive” suicidal thoughts (such as, “I wouldn’t mind dying”) were allowed to participate.

Ultimately, the team found that patients with PTSD had higher levels of mGluR5 in their brains compared to those without it. The scientists also found that PTSD patients who were reporting suicidal thoughts had even higher levels of the biomarker than their peers.

Currently, the researchers say, there are only two drugs approved by the FDA for use in PTSD patients. Both of these drugs were initially formulated to treat depression; there are substantial safety concerns involved with using antidepressants in people who are already experiencing suicidal thoughts — given that these drugs can often increase the risk of a suicide attempt. There is also a woeful lack of evidence that these drugs can or will even work in people with PTSD.

The problem with pharmaceuticals

One of the biggest cons in modern medicine is the psychiatric pharmaceutical. While the industry proclaims that these drugs are proven to work, most evidence actually indicates otherwise. Not only has Big Pharma convinced most of the American population that they need their drugs in order to survive, the pharmaceutical giants have somehow managed to trick the masses into completely ignoring damaging side effects and other health risks posed by these drugs. And if you dare to speak out against Big Pharma’s paradigm, you’ll be painted as a raging, anti-science lunatic.

At least 1,500 reports of “psychotropic drug-induced homicidal ideation” have been made to the FDA — and estimates suggest that only 10 percent of all adverse drug reactions are ever reported.

Combine this with the fact that experts believe that most psych drug use is actually unnecessary and that at least 5 million people are taking an unwarranted psych med, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Multiple experts, including world-renowned psychiatrist Peter Breggin, have voiced their concerns about the “blind prescribing” tactics that are all too common among doctors these days. Breggin, widely regarded as the “conscience” of his profession, contends that psychiatric medications are, at best, a band-aid — and at worst, add fuel to the fire of mental illness.

Learn more about harmful drugs at Medicine.news.

Sources for this article include:

LiveScience.com

PNAS.org