Why Kids Kill? Prozac and Alternatives

by Dr. Wilson

Causes for childhood depression, anxiety and attention deficit range from
nutritional imbalances and chemical exposure to home and school problems.
Instead of addressing causes, many doctors and psychologists treat the
symptoms with powerful medications. Today, almost nine million children, or
almost one out of every five children, take psychoactive drugs for their
behavior disorders, many of which are questionable diagnoses.

SIDE EFFECTS OF PROZAC
Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft belong to a class of drugs called selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI's. These drugs can induce akathisia -
mental and physical agitation that sparks self-destructive, violent
behavior. They can also induce dissociative reactions. The one taking the
drug becomes insensitive to the consequences of his behavior.
The combination of these effects can lead to anti-social behavior of the
worst kind. In one study, 6% of the children on Prozac became psychotic (1).
Here are the sad results. Eric Harris was on Luvox before taking part in the
shooting at Columbine High School in April 1999. Fifteen-year-old Shawn
Cooper fired on students and high school staff in Notus, Idaho in April
1999. He was taking an SSRI. Thirteen-year-old Chris Fetters of Iowa killed
her favorite aunt. She was on Prozac. Kip Kinkel, a 15-year-old, first shot
his parents, then killed two and wounded 22 fellow students at Thurston High
School in Oregon. He was taking Prozac.
Joseph Wesbecker was on Prozac when he killed seven people at a printing
plant in Kentucky, before taking his own life. In September 1999, Buford
O'Neal Furrow, Jr. fired 70 rounds at the North Valley Jewish Community
Center in Los Angeles wounding 5 people. A month earlier Mark Barton
murdered his wife and two children and then methodically gunned down 21
people in two brokerage firms in Atlanta.
Jeff Weise was another school killer in Red lake, Minnesota. His dose of
Prozac had just been increased to 60 mg daily. The story is the same - those
involved were taking SSRI drugs. Since 1998, eight of the thirteen school
shooters were on psychiatric drugs. The records on the remaining five are
sealed. Did the drugs cause the violence?
Ann Blake Tracy, PhD has studied Prozac for ten years. She researched 32
murder cases involving women and their children. In 24 of the cases, the
women were taking Prozac or another SSRI.
Why isn't this on the news? Perhaps because drug company advertising
supports most TV and radio stations, newspapers and medical journals. Drug
companies spend billion a year on advertising. An article in California
Lawyer, Dec. 1998, reported that Eli Lilly, manufacturer of Prozac, settled
nearly a dozen cases involving Prozac out of court in one year. They did
this to avoid unwanted publicity that would unleash an avalanche of Prozac
horror stories.

AN EPIDEMIC
In many areas, one of every five children is labeled with 'attention
deficit' or ADHD. The number of children so diagnosed increased by 90%
between 1989 and 1996! Three-fourths of the doctor visits resulted in drug
treatment. Clinical Psychiatric News, July 1998 reported that 223 children
under age 3 who enrolled in Michigan's Medicaid program before December 1996
were labeled ADHD. The author adds: "Amazingly, 57% of these children were
treated with one or more psychotropic drugs including Ritalin, Prozac,
Dexedrine, Aventyl and Syban. Thirty-three percent were medicated with two
or more of these drugs."
Combining anti-depressants (Prozac or Luvox) and psychostimulants (Ritalin)
increases the risk of cardiovascular collapse, seizures, euphoria and
psychosis (3). Researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory reported
that "when Ritalin was given to cocaine users, they couldn't distinguish the
Ritalin high from the cocaine high".
Why the epidemic? Lack of parental supervision, loss of values, poor role
models, too much TV, and outmoded educational systems may all contribute.
Schools often receive money for every child they diagnose with ADHD. It
seems easier to prescribe a drug than spend the time to investigate the
problem. There are other reasons, however, that are well-documented but
hardly ever discussed.

ATROCIOUS DIETS
Pellagra is a vitamin B3 deficiency disease. In 1938, the American Journal
of Medical Science, Vol. 196 published an article titled, "The Mental
Symptoms of Subclinical Pellagra (in children)" by T.D. Spies et al.
Symptoms include hyperactivity, perceptual difficulties, inappropriate
social behavior, and problems in school. Sound familiar?
How can a child today develop this syndrome? Easily! Live on a standard diet
of products made from white flour, white rice, and refined sugar. In a
California study involving 400 prisoners, 200 were given a
multi-vitamin-mineral supplement, while the others were given a placebo.
Neither the prisoners nor the prison staff knew who was getting the placebo.
The number of discipline violations in the treated group fell 38% in the 15
weeks of the study. There was no change in violations in the placebo group.
Psychiatrist Abram Hoffer, MD has added much to our understanding of human
nutrition. Two of his contributions concern food allergies and dosages of
vitamins. He writes that "food allergy can reproduce almost every known
psychiatric syndrome, from autism and schizophrenia to mood and behavioral
disorders". His work with concentration camp victims proved that some people
need much higher doses of vitamins than others to maintain health.

OLD BRAIN AND NEW BRAIN
Our brain has several parts. The so-called old brain? is the diencephalon,
often referred to as the brain stem. It is responsible for our animal
responses, including the desire to harm or kill another. It is a natural
defensive response. The new brain is the cortex, which sits on top of the
old brain. One of its functions is to modify the animal responses,
substituting the higher emotions such as forgiveness, patience and
compassion.
Copper stimulates the old brain, whereas zinc is needed in greater quantity
for the new brain. In fact, zinc is considered by some researchers as a
calming neurotransmitter in its own right. Hair analyses reveal today that
over 50% of the population is zinc deficient and copper toxic. Symptoms of
copper toxicity from a standard textbook include psychosis, schizophrenia,
and emotional instability.
Why are the copper levels high? Among the important reasons are
zinc-deficient (refined food) diets, adrenal gland weakness, use of birth
control pills and copper intra-uterine devices in mothers, and stress.

THE PEPSI GENERATION
Many children today are overstimulated with caffeine and sugar. Refined
caffeine - a more potent stimulant than that found in foods such as tea or
coffee, is readily available to youngsters of all ages. It gives a temporary
lift, but eventually exhausts the adrenal glands, leading to fatigue and
irritability. It is ironic that the FDA is very tough on vitamin
manufacturers, but ignores children?s access to this well-known stimulant
drug.
Refined sugar, labeled fructose, corn sweeteners, honey, dextrose, liquid
sugar or other names, depletes the body of B-complex vitamins needed for its
digestion. It also feeds fungal and other subclinical infections.
Substituting Nutrasweet is even worse for many people.
Calcium, magnesium and zinc are called the "sedative minerals". They are
essential for mental well-being. Soda pop contains phosphoric acid that
binds and eliminates calcium, magnesium and zinc from the body.

TOXIC METALS
Lead, cadmium, and mercury can damage children's brains and cause mood
swings and violent thoughts. This is not a debatable issue. Tissue mineral
tests on several serial killers found they had high tissue levels of these
metals. A study of Naval recruits found the higher the cadmium level, the
more disciplinary problems.
The "mad hatters" of Alice in Wonderland were real people. They became
poisoned with mercury working in the hat industry in the mid 1800's. Today,
American children are poisoned with mercury on a much larger scale from
their dental fillings. Many European nations have banned amalgam fillings.
The American Dental Association knows about the problem. If they told you
the truth, there might be law suits, so the poisoning continues.
A troubled teen consulted the author some years ago. He had been expelled
from several high schools, and lived at the Arizona Boys Ranch. His driver
said he had "a bad attitude". In my office, he said "Doc, my brain doesn't
work". A mineral analysis indicated high levels of cadmium and aluminum.
Both are neurotoxic. I changed his diet, and recommended several
supplements. Six months later he returned for a follow-up. His cadmium and
aluminum levels had improved. The driver said, "His attitude has turned
around". In my office the boy said, "Doc, my brain works".
When the diet is low in vital minerals, the body absorbs much more of the
toxic metals from food and the environment.

TOXIC CHEMICALS
Pesticide exposure can induce homicidal behavior. Many pesticides affect
cholinesterase activity. This enzyme affects the level of acetylcholine, a
calming neurotransmitter. This can induce states of agitation and
irritability. Studies show that many children by age five have reached a
dangerous level of pesticide exposure.
Schools are often built today without windows for better insulation. Many
have carpeting, which formerly was never used in schools. This creates a
closed environment with carpet molds, dust, toxic cleaning products and
formaldehyde in furniture and building materials. The result is called "sick
building syndrome". Excellent books such as Is This Your Child's World? by
Doris Rapp, MD document the harmful effects these chemicals can have on
children's behavior.

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
What can be done about all this? A lot! Use the resources at the end of this
article to become informed and help your children feel their best. Explain
to your children that you are responsible for their health and safety, and
your rules are for their sake.
Have fun explaining nutrition to kids. Tell them that fluffy, bleached,
preserved white bread is good for two things: cleaning up a mess on the
floor, and for blowing your nose if you don't have Kleenex. It has no place
in a healthful diet. Bleached white flour is great for paper mache, but not
for eating.
Don't keep junk food in the house, substitute healthier products and set a
good example for children. Yell and scream until they take the soda machines
and McDonald's-style meals out of the schools. If they refuse, consider
taking your child out of that school. While you are at school, note if there
is proper ventilation, and how many toxic carpets and other items your child
will be exposed to.
Natural light - provided by windows or full-spectrum bulbs - is also much
healthier for children than windowless school buildings and standard
fluorescent lights.
Spend more time with your children. Although TV violence is probably not the
main cause of school violence, why support violence on TV and movies?
Ratings are everything. If enough people tune out, the programming will
change.
Also, tune out the "experts" who want more gun control. Kennesaw, Georgia
passed a law requiring heads of households to have at least one gun in the
house. The crime rate dropped and has remained low. There are excellent
books detailing the benefits of gun ownership.
If your child is diagnosed with ADHD or depression, use drugs as a last
resort. Seek for causes, including nutritional imbalances, candida albicans
infections, food allergies and chemical sensitivity among others. Other
natural therapies can also be most helpful. For example, St. John's wort or
5-HTP for mild depression do not have the side effects of Prozac and often
work as well.

LOVE THE CHILDREN
Children need to be loved and cared for carefully. Too many parents are
burned out, too busy, or some just don?t care enough about their children.
When children are not loved and cared for properly, most cannot articulate
their needs. Instead, they "act out" - sometimes violently. Under the
influence of drugs and other imbalances, it can be deadly. Perhaps we can be
grateful for these incidents. They may point us in directions that are
needed to better love the children.

References
1. Breggin, P.R., Talking Back to Prozac, St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York,
NY, 1994.
2. Breggin, P.R., Your Drug May Be Your Problem, Perseus Books, Reading, MA
1999.
3. Breggin, P.R., also Talking Back to Ritalin and Toxic Psychiatry.
4. Dishinger, R.C., Bad Behavior and Illness are Caused by Biochemical
Imbalances, available free at www.biochemimbal-bahavior.com or call
502-684-9233.
5. Doctor Visits by Youngsters with ADHD, Arch. of Ped. and Adolescent Med.,
Dec. 1999;153,1257-1263,1220-1221.
6. Drug Company Advertising to Doctors, J. of the AMA,2000;373-380 and
391-393.
7. Eck, P. and Wilson, L., Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease, Eck
Institute of Applied Nutrition, Phoenix, AZ, 1989.
8. Greeley, R.E., Thomas Jefferson's Freethought Legacy, Prometheus Books,
Amherst, NY, 1995.
9. Hoffer, A, Dr. Hoffer's ABC of Natural Nutrition for Children, Quarry
Press, Inc., Ontario, Canada 1999.
10. Johnson, J.A. et al., Drug-related Morbidity and Mortality, A
Cost-of-Illness Model, Arch. Intern. Med., Oct. 9, 1995;155(18)1949-1956.
11.Olarsch, I.G., and Stockton, S., Why are Kids Killing...The
Nutrition-Mind Connection, Townsend Letter for Doctors, April
2000;201,108-111.
12.O'Meara, K.P., Doping Kids, Insight Magazine, June 28, 1999, available at
www.freerepublic.com
Prozac Survivor's Support Group, at www.pssg.org
13. Rapp, D., Is This Your Child?, Quill William Morrow, New York, 1991.
14. Rappaport, John, Why Did They Do It? An Inquiry Into The School
Shootings in America, (available at www.truthseeker.com)
15. Schauss, A., Diet, Crime and Delinquency, Parker House Press, Berkeley,
CA, 1980.
16. Thiel, R.J, Nutrition-based Interventions for ADD and ADHD, Amer.
Naturo. Med. Assoc. Monitor, 1999, or at www.healthresearch.com.
17. Tracy, A.B., Prozac: Panacea or Pandora?, Cassia Publications, West
Jordan, UT, 1994.
18. Tracy, Ann Black, International Coalition for Drug Awareness,
www.drugawareness.org
19. Wiley, H., The History of the Crime Against the Food Law, available from
the national Health Federation, Monrovia, CA.
20. Williams, D.G., Teach Your Children Well, Alternatives For the Health
Conscious Individual, September 1999, 800-219-8591.
Dr. Lawrence Wilson
P.O. Box 54
Prescott, AZ 86302-0054
(928) 445-7690
Visit http://www.drlwilson.com/ for books, and audio tapes from Dr. Wilson.