More Paxil Problems?

I'm not sure if I consider this earth-shattering news, but it's sure getting some media attention. David Healy, a British doc and longtime critic of psych meds, has a new journal article out in which he claims an elevated risk of violence among people taking Paxil versus people taking a placebo. A relationship between violence and SSRIs has long been claimed by some, suspected by others, and outright rejected by still others. I'm not sure that Healy's paper adds any more weight to any of this, but when you add in the suicide risks attached to Paxil and pregnancy complications that supposedly come with Paxil, it all does make you scratch your head a bit. Still, I don't find Healy's evidence particularly persuasive.

What is interesting is that in late August, a court in Florida cleared former MLB pitcher Jeff Reardon of criminal charges after he allegedly robbed a jewelry store last year. The reason? The court found that Reardon was not guilty by reason of insanity due to effects of various mood stabilizers and anti-depressants he was taking. I've not been able to turn up any details on precisely what meds he was taking, but if the evidence convinced a court, then that's the first time I have heard of this particular defense being attempted much less working.

So maybe Healy is onto something. Or not, since courts in this country have consistently rejected so-called Prozac defenses in the past.