Diagnosed and Dissociated: What the Data Really Says About SSRIs and Violence
Updated
In a world reeling from the increase in autistic and transgender school shooters, the mental health needs of transgender and neurodivergent individuals remain both visible and invisible—clear for many to see an evident pattern, yet underexplored in policy, even though roughly 40 percent of this population is prescribed SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Following the latest shooting in August, where a transgender mass shooter killed two children and wounded 17 others before killing himself, U. S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has demanded an investigation into whether the pharmaceutical drugs taken by this shooter and others while transitioning—especially SSRIs—played a role in the horrific massacre.
Recent research published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association offers insight. The 2023 study examined prescribing trends for transgender and nonbinary individuals diagnosed with both gender dysphoria and mood or anxiety disorders. As noted, it found that approximately 40 percent of this population is prescribed SSRIs—a number that is often misrepresented in public discourse to imply inherent dysfunction, when in reality it reflects a complex intersection of identity, societal stress, and mental health support gaps.
But what earlier data really reveals might be far more nuanced. Right or wrong, a 2003 study suggests that mental health challenges in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations are not caused by being trans or neurodivergent. Are they instead the result of prolonged exposure to social trauma—discrimination, family rejection, institutional erasure, and medical gaslighting? In this light, is a prescription for SSRIs even the answer?
Staggeringly, along with the recent study indicating that 40 percent of the transgender population is on SSRIs, a study in 2018 found that 40 percent of transgender people also report attempting suicide. Coincidence? That’s nine times the rate of the general population. These statistics aren’t the result of a quirk of brain chemistry—instead, they feel like an indictment of the web of destruction associated with pharmaceutical greed. The question isn’t, “Why are trans people on antidepressants?” The real question is, “Why are we still building and referencing systems that make antidepressants feel like the only lifeline?”
Interestingly, the 2023 study also found that 38 percent of those with both gender dysphoria and a co-occurring mood or anxiety diagnosis were not prescribed any antidepressants, even when clinically indicated. This serendipitous gap speaks to more than provider oversight—it reflects a dire situation in need of attention. Speaking on the subject to Fox News, Kennedy remarked:
“Some of the SSRI drugs and some psychiatric drugs might be contributing to violence. Many of them have black-box warnings for suicidal ideation and homicidal ideation. We can’t exclude those as a culprit.”
Indeed, we can’t. As pointed out by Focal Points, scientific evidence already exists linking SSRIs to violent crime and homicidal behavior. A 2020 study, which identified 785,337 individuals between the ages of 15 and 60, found that people on SSRIs were 26 percent more likely to commit violent crime compared to when they were not on medication. The risk was notably high in young adults ages 15 to 34 years, with increases of 28 percent in 15-24-year-olds and 35 percent in 25-34-year-olds.
In the overall cohort, the study found that the within-individual Hazard Ratios (HRs) were significantly elevated throughout treatment and for up to 12 weeks (3 months) after discontinuation of the drugs. In other words, the danger persisted after stopping. The risk of violent crime was still 37 percent higher within the first month of stopping, and 20 percent higher up to 12 weeks later, confirming that the elevated danger continues for months.
Another study in 2015, titled Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Violent Crime, found that young users 15 to 24 years old had a 43 percent higher risk of violent crime convictions. And these risks extended beyond just violent crimes. Individuals on SSRIs experienced a 29 percent higher risk of accidents and a 98 percent higher risk of alcohol-related hospital visits. Along with that, the study showed that young men in that age group had a 40 percent higher risk of violent crime, and young women had a whopping 75 percent higher risk of violent crime. In other words, the dangerous outcomes of SSRIs disproportionately impact both young men and young women, who fall into the age category of the recent transgender mass shootings.
The data points of these studies are impossible to ignore. Indeed, multiple large-scale studies, drawn from national health registries, reveal a disturbing recurring pattern. SSRIs—those ubiquitous mood regulators—carry a measurable association with increased rates of violent crime among adolescents and young adults.
Taking it a step further, when you layer these facts over a population already over-medicated, we also find that nearly half of all transgender-identifying young people may meet the criteria for autistic spectrum traits. Presently, we find ourselves in a moment where violence in these individuals may erupt not from an identity crisis, but instead could be the result of pharmaceutical-induced chemical conflict. Think about that for a minute. Kennedy’s investigation can’t happen soon enough. In a now-restricted manifesto, Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman described his breaking point not as rage, but regret:
”I’m tired of being trans… I wish I never brainwashed myself.”
