SSRI Antidepressant Violence Lawsuit Lawyers

Receive A Monetary Award for Wrongful Deaths and Injuries Linked to Use of Antidepressant Medication

People take medication with the hopes of improving their lives, not destroying them. Regrettably, people have been harmed by others who never displayed a hint of a violent propensity in their lives. Scientific research shows that antidepressant medication could be to blame for senseless acts of violence. Lawsuits filed across the United States, as well as litigation from courts around the world, revealed that pharmaceutical companies who make antidepressant drugs might be liable for deaths and injuries from the violent side effects antidepressant medications could cause.

If a person taking antidepressant medication committed a violent act against you or a family member, you have valuable rights and could be eligible to pursue legal action against the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the harmful drug. Our lawyers use their vast experience and highly developed litigation skills to recover financial compensation for our clients. In turn, our clients found the peace of mind knowing that they chose the right law firm to represent them in their fight to receive justice.

The Case for Taking Antidepressant Medication

Antidepressant medication balances chemicals in our brains which regulate our moods. In essence, these types of drugs work with the neurotransmitters located in our brains to provide a kick-start to improving mood. However, improvement of one’s mood will not happen overnight. Research demonstrates that a person’s mood begins to improve within a few weeks. Eventually, if the drug works as designed, the patient will start to eat, sleep, and experience more prolonged periods of concentration.

Not everyone experiences an improvement in his or her mood after a few weeks. Doctors will frequently add a second drug to enhance the effects of the first drug. Most people find that their symptoms improve with the addition of a second antidepressant drug.

Medicine’s Darkest Secret

Clinical research over the last 30 years, coupled with anecdotal evidence, conclusively proves that antidepressant medications and lethal violence go hand-in-hand. One medical profession called the link “medicine’s best-kept secret.” Dating as far back as 1988, a scientific analysis of school shootings show that 90% of the people, mostly young men, who perpetrated those acts took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressant drugs. Examples of SSRI drugs are Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), or Zoloft (sertraline) at the time of the criminal or homicidal action. Since 1988, analysts determined that in the 36 school shootings or violent acts perpetrated in schools, 172 people suffered injuries and 80 died at the hands of young men who took antidepressants.

SSRI mood enhancing drugs were once thought to increase homicidal and suicidal thoughts in men aged 24 or younger. The age of the offender is now becoming obsolete. On May 20, 2018, a 62-year-old father in North Carolina intentionally drove his motor vehicle through the wall of a restaurant while his family was sitting in a booth eating. According to police, the man calculated where his family sat, excused himself, and then drove through the wall. Two of the family members were killed.

The law enforcement investigation revealed that the man had recently begun taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines. Alarmingly, the man took his medication as prescribed by his physician.

Similar incidents recently occurred around the globe. In Australia, a 61-year-old grandfather shot and killed his wife, his daughter, and four grandchildren after a few weeks of taking an antidepressant drug. The report of the incident indicated that the newest drugs lead to the commission of violent acts as a result of a boost of serotonin levels in the brain.

Researchers, like everyone else in the U.S., are concerned about the recent spike in the number of school shootings. However, psychologists and school administrators disagree about the best methods to identify the potential for homicidal or suicidal behavior with psychological screenings in schools. Some psychologists believe that screening students for depression, anxiety, loneliness, and isolation, leads to more children receiving prescriptions for drugs that will turn them into killing machines. Compounding the problem is that many psychologists agree that violence cannot be predicted reliably. Adding to the issue is the current state of testing used by psychiatrists frequently yields “false-positive” results, meaning that more kids receive drugs than who genuinely need them.

Courts Take Notice of the Problem

The two homicides discussed above happened too recently to permit courts of law to flush out the details behind the motives of the two men who killed their families. Other courts have had the chance to evaluate criminal behavior in light of the effects of antidepressant medications. A court in Wyoming awarded a family $8 million as compensation for a family member, described as a “doting grandfather” who took an antidepressant drug and within three days shot and killed his wife and grandkids before turning the weapon on himself. The jury found the drug was 80% responsible for the violent incident.

Again in Australia, a judge gave a light sentence to a man with no history of violence whatsoever who took antidepressant drugs and killed his wife. The judge, in this case, ruled that the woman would still be alive if her husband did not take the prescribed antidepressant medication.

Parker Waichman LLP has a History of Fighting for Justice for Victims

The criminal laws of our country may hold the perpetrators of the criminal activity responsible for his or her actions, but that is only part of the story. Pharmaceutical companies, based on the box warnings accompanying their antidepressant medications, know that people who take these medications are prone to violence. Sometimes the violence is directed at themselves, making them suicidal. On other occasions, the violence is directed at others, especially family. Drug companies know this to be true, yet they persist in marketing these drugs as a way to cure a young man of the “blues.” Parker Waichman LLP’s antidepressant violence lawyers promise to vigorously pursue every party that contributed to the violent attack that devastated your family.

Taking on drug companies is not an easy task. They employ legions of lawyers who restlessly work to make sure their client does not have to pay out money to the families of aggressors who took antidepressant medication. Parker Waichman LLP’s drug defect lawyers have confronted massive drug companies and won judgments and settlements for their clients.

Parker Waichman LLP never charges an up-front fee, called a retainer, for representing you. They only get paid if you recover monetary damages. You do not have to take any of your hard earned money from your pocket and away from your family to pursue your rights. Parker Waichman LLP will advance the costs of litigation and recoup them from settlement money. They never ask you for anything, except your vote of confidence by retaining them to represent you and your family through these seemingly desperate times.

Let Parker Waichman LLP Represent You and Your Family In Your Antidepressant Medication Lawsuit

Parker Waichman LLP’s lawyers have recovered over $2 billion in damages for their clients. Parker Waichman LLP received numerous awards and accolades for the quality of representation and the reputation of the firm in the legal community from their peers.

Call Paker Waichman’s antidepressant violence lawsuit attorneys today to schedule a free case evaluation. Call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529) to schedule your consultation today. We are here 24/7 for you and your family. Time is of the essence. Waiting to file a claim might cause you and your family irreparable harm.