By Kelly Patricia O’Meara
October 2, 2015
Law enforcement officials identified 26-year old, Chris Harper Mercer, as the gunman who, yesterday, killed 10 people and wounded seven others at Umpqua Community College in southwestern Oregon. It appears Mercer is another in a long list of school shooters who have a history of mental health services and, more likely than not, had been prescribed psychiatric drugs.
Like so many of the recent perpetrators of mass violence, Mercer’s mental health history is well documented having, according to the Los Angeles Times, graduated from the Switzer Learning Center in Torrance, Ca., which serves students from 3rd grade to 22 years of age who have moderate to severe learning disabilities, emotional issues, attention problems and behavioral disorders. One former neighbor told the press, “she (Mercer’s mother) said, ‘My son is dealing with some mental issues.” The only question that remains unanswered is what psychiatric diagnosis had Mercer been labeled with and what was his psychiatric drug “treatment” regimen?
It is equally important to note that this mass attack occurred within a couple of weeks of the mainstream press, such as the LA Times and Reuters, exposing the link between antidepressants and violence. The recently released research reveals that 15 to 24 year olds taking antidepressants were nearly 50% more likely to be convicted of a violent crime such as homicide, assault, arson, robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault offenses when taking antidepressants than when they were not.
Given that at least 35 school shootings and/or school associated acts of violence (which includes guns, knives, and swords) with 169 wounded and 79 killed have been committed by students and others taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs, consideration of this connection can no longer be ignored.
According to an article posted in the Oregonian, “There are a number of indications that Mercer had mental health or behavioral issues. His screen name on some social media sites was ‘lithium love.’ Lithium is a psychiatric medication.
According to an article posted in the Oregonian, “There are a number of indications that Mercer had mental health or behavioral issues. His screen name on some social media sites was ‘lithium love.’ Lithium is a psychiatric medication.
A neighbor told The New York Times that Mercer’s mother had told a neighbor “My son is dealing with some mental issues,” and the U.S. Army confirmed Friday it discharged Mercer after he spent a month in basic training in 2008. “A review of Army records indicate that Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer was in service at Ft. Jackson, S.C., from 5 November-11 December 2008 but discharged for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards to serve in the U.S. Army,”
The list of recent mass shooters with a history of mental health services and psychiatric drug “treatment” include John Russell Houser who, in July of this year, opened fire in a Lafayette, LA, movie theater, Aurora, Co., shooter, James Holmes, Fort Hood shooter, Ivan Lopez and Washington Navy Yard shooter, Aaron Alexis.
There are 4 million teens and young adults in the U.S. taking antidepressants, which have been documented to cause hostility, abnormal behavior, mania, violence, and suicidal and homicidal ideation and carry serious drug warnings.
All the above had been prescribed psychiatric drugs known to cause hostility, abnormal behavior, mania, violence, and suicidal and homicidal ideation and carry serious drug warnings both in the U.S. and internationally. Despite 22 international drug regulatory warnings citing violence, psychosis, mania and even homicidal ideation as side effects of these drugs, there has yet to be a federal investigation to determine the extent of mass induced acts of violence that could be caused by psychiatric drug use.
Given the obvious adverse events associated with psychiatric drug “treatment,” whether Mercer has a psychiatric drug history may be key to understanding the violent behavior.
Michael Moore, filmmaker, Bowling for Columbine: “In bowling for Columbine we never really came up with the answer in terms of why this happened…. I think we did a good job of really exposing all the reasons that were given were a bunch of BS, you know Marilyn Manson caused them to do it, this this or that caused them to do it and none of it really made any sense.
“That’s why I believe there should be an investigation in terms of what pharmaceuticals, prescribed pharmaceuticals these kids were on…. Imagine how people would totally rethink things, grasping for every little straw they can to explain how something like columbine happens when it could be nothing more than this.
“It’s an extremely legitimate question to post and it demands and investigation.”
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Kelly Patricia O’Meara is an award-winning former investigative reporter for the Washington Times’ Insight Magazine, penning dozens of articles exposing the fraud of psychiatric diagnosis and the dangers of the psychiatric drugs—including her ground-breaking 1999 cover story, “Guns & Doses,” exposing the link between psychiatric drugs and acts of senseless violence. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed book, Psyched Out: How Psychiatry Sells Mental Illness and Pushes Pills that Kill. Prior to working as an investigative journalist, O’Meara spent sixteen years on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer to four Members of Congress. She holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Maryland.