Mental health watchdog says adding psychedelics as approved mental health treatment will fuel more acts of drug-induced violence in the community.
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As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers the approval of prescription psychedelic drugs for addressing mental health issues, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International urges policymakers to exercise caution, emphasizing that such a move may further augment the array of psychiatric drugs already associated with inciting violent tendencies. The group’s compelling report, Psychiatric Drugs Create Violence and Suicide, meticulously referencing numerous studies linking psychotropic drugs to instances of violent and homicidal behavior, is undergoing an update to emphasize the potential risks associated with approving prescription psychedelics. The organization believes that such approval could contribute to the prevailing epidemic of acts of senseless violence, underscoring instances of illicit psychedelic use already linked to such acts or thwarted attempts.
CCHR cites a recent incident where an off-duty pilot had taken psilocybin (magic mushrooms) because of his worsening mental health condition, 48 hours before boarding a flight. Flying in the crew’s jump seat, he suddenly announced, “I’m not OK,” and attempted to pull the handles to cut the plane’s engines. If not subdued by the crew, the plane would have gone into a glide and, if crashed, killed all 83 on board. After being subdued, court records report he calmly walked to the back of the plane and told a flight attendant, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad.” He believed he was having a nervous breakdown and felt like he was dreaming.[1] The crew cuffed his wrists, and despite this, during the plane’s descent, he “turned towards an emergency exit door and tried to grab the handle.”[2]
In June 2023, another incident occurred with psilocybin implicated in Washington State. U.S. Army Specialist shot and killed two and wounded three others at the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival after ingesting psychedelic mushrooms, and started hallucinating. The perpetrator told police that psilocybin may have made him violent.[3]
Pro-psychedelic proponents claim psilocybin would not have been affecting the pilot two days after he’d taken it. However, a hair test shows psilocybin can last in the body as long as 90 days.[4]
Psilocybin can cause “derealization,” a feeling of detachment from one’s surroundings. People often describe the experience as feeling as though they’re in a movie or a dream. “Psychotic-like behavior” is also among the risks.[5]
An October 2023 study published in the journal PLOS One, analyzed extended difficulties reported by 608 participants following psychedelic experiences. The “common forms of extended difficulty were feelings of anxiety and fear, existential struggle, social disconnection, depersonalization and derealization,” researchers from the U.S. and UK found. For approximately one-third of the participants, problems persisted for over a year, and for a sixth of them, they endured for more than three years.[6]
While largely referring to illicit uses of the drugs, the authors stated that the “variety of profoundly challenging experiences that can occur following the use of psychedelics” can also occur following use in guided settings.
In a 2020 Global Drug Survey of LSD and psilocybin, 22.5% of the total sample reported at least one negative outcome, with the most common being “mental confusion, memory problems, or racing thoughts.”[7]
Psychedelics are already abused. Legitimizing them as approved “medications” can increase this. Clinical trials for psychedelic therapy are close to gaining FDA approval in the U.S.[8] Data from a 2023 report from the U.S. shows that 8% of its adults aged 19-30 reported past-year usage of psychedelics in 2022, compared to 3% in 2012. U.S. adults aged 35-50 reported even higher growth in usage, from less than 1% in 2012 to 4% in 2022.[9]
In addition to psychedelic-induced violence, there are also cases of violence linked to psychiatric drugs, either during their use or while the person is in withdrawal.
For example, while it is not known what drug the U.S. Army reservist accused of killing at least 18 people and wounding 13 in Maine in October was potentially withdrawing from at the time, one of his family members reported that he had been “hospitalized for mental health issues and prescribed medication that he stopped taking.”[10] Despite his treatment, he recently threatened to shoot up a National Guard Base, according to an NBC report.[11] On 27 October, the reservist was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following a 2-day manhunt.[12]
CCHR says this is but a sample of recent violent or potentially violent incidents reported this year. CCHR has documented 103 incidents of senseless violent crimes committed by perpetrators taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs, resulting in 532 deaths and 973 wounded.
“Violence and other potentially criminal behavior caused by prescription drugs are medicine’s best kept secret,” says Prof. David Healy, an international expert on psychopharmaceuticals.[13]
Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International, says, “Now the FDA and psychiatry’s plan is to add psychedelic drugs to the mix, increasing the potential for more acts of senseless violence in the community. Any adverse effects will be explained away as another ‘mental disorder,’ obfuscating the drug effects.” The latest American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-5 already outlines this in cases where adverse symptoms are prolonged and distressing, calling it “Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.”[14]
CCHR reiterates psychedelics are a wrong and dangerous turn in the mental health system. There should be no FDA or official approval of any psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental disorders. It also stresses the need for mandatory toxicology testing of anyone involved in a violent crime, which should be recorded in a publicly accessible database on the findings.
[1] abcnews.go.com/US/alaska-airlines-flight-diverted-after-credible-security-threat/story?id=104223059; www.cnbc.com/2023/10/24/alaska-airlines-pilot-hit-with-federal-charge-in-alleged-attempts-to-shut-down-plane-engines-grab-emergency-exit-handle.html; www.politico.com/news/2023/10/24/pilot-mushrooms-ap-00123388
[2] “Off-duty pilot accused of trying to shut off airliner’s engines mid-flight said he took ‘magic mushrooms’ 48 hours before the incident, court documents say,” CNN, 25 Oct. 2023
[3] www.billboard.com/business/legal/beyond-wonderland-festival-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-1235367752/
[4] addictioncenter.com/drugs/how-long-do-drugs-stay-in-your-system/
[5] dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12663463/Alaska-Airlines-pilot-fantastic-father-Joseph-Emerson-attempted-murder-plane-engine.html
[6] Jules Evans, et al., “Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs: A mixed methods study,” PLOS One, 24 Oct. 2023, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
[7] journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
[8] journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
[9] journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
[10] www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/01/maine-mass-shooting-motive-robert-card/71405015007/
[11] www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lewiston-maine-shooting-robert-card-what-know-rcna122262
[12] www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-card-found-dead-maine-mass-shooting-suspect-lewiston/
[13] www.cchrint.org/2020/06/01/drug-induced-acts-of-senseless-violence-need-investigation/
[14] journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
Contact Info:
Name: Amber Rauscher
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
Address: 6616 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028, United States
Phone: +1-323-467-4242
Website: https://www.cchrint.org
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89112976
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