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Editor: Robert Binstock
Profession: Paxil Side Effect Attorney

Category: Paxil Suicide

Over the past few years there have been reports of an increase in suicides among veterans and particularly of those soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The most common explanation for these suicides is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Soldiers are often prescribed medication to help them cope with the often-traumatizing images and stress that has been placed on them during combat situations. Antidepressants have been found in some cases to increase suicidal ideation and increase the risk of suicide.

Additional reports claim that some soldiers are being shipped back to the front lines too quickly after being placed on antidepressant therapy. Doctors say that patients should be monitored for a minimum of 90 days before returning to combat. Soldiers should receive light duty during this observation period. This has not been the standard procedure in most cases within the military. There have been several accounts of soldiers taking the lives of others as well as their own in these types of situations.

"I can't imagine something more irresponsible than putting a soldier suffering from stress on (Prozac or similar drugs), when you know these drugs can cause people to become suicidal and homicidal," said Vera Sharav, president of the Alliance of Human Research Protection, a patient advocacy group. "You're creating chemically activated time bombs."

The lives of our soldiers are of the utmost importance. They are experiencing depression as a result of combat to protect the American way of life. They should not be punished and disvalued as second-class citizens when it comes to treating the ailments caused by the call of duty.