Report: Paxil, Other Drugs May Be Responsible for High Army Suicide Rate

Washington, D.C.A recent report from the United States Military suggests that the high suicide rate among American troops may be one of many Paxil side effects, according to the Epoch Times.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">According to the report, in 2009 the Army saw 239 suicides and 1,713 suicide attempts. Additionally, there were 146 deaths due to drug overdoses or high-risk behavior.

The report also found high rates of use of psychoactive medication like Paxil, with the number of troops aged 18 to 34 using such drugs rising by 85 percent since 2003. In total, one out of every six troops currently uses psychoactive medications.

The news source reports that Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, who served as Secretary of the Navy in the 1980s, said that this high rate of use is "pretty astounding and also very troubling" during a congressional hearing.

"I feel flat-out that psychiatrists are directly responsible for deaths in our military, for some of these suicides. I think it's criminal, what they are doing," Retired Colonel Bart Billings, a former Army psychologist, told the Marine Times.