In an opinion piece in today’s New York Times, Richard A. Friedman notes the increase of PTSD in the miliatary from .2% in 2002 to 22% today and asks whether the 1000% increase in prescriptions for Adderall and Ritalin are fueling the change. He notes that the increase of norepinephrine that stimulants such as these cause is associated with an increase in learning that – in a combat zone – could become the foundation of PTSD-related experience.
This really is the tip of the ol’ iceberg when it comes to the deleterious effects of psychiatric medication on our troops. They’re sent into the field supplied with months of medication. They take them unmonitored; nobody is around to identify adverse effects.
Antidepressants taken inconsistently can cause adverse effects and withdrawal syndrome that looks just like — surprise! — PTSD. The neurological dysregulation from this, which includes hypersensitivity to medications, can last for a very long time.
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