Study finds risk of committing a homicide associated with opiate and anti-inflammatory painkillers

Finnish-Swedish study analyzes link between psychotropic drugs and homicide risk.

A study analysing the Finnish homicide and prescription drug databases discovered that the use of certain drugs that affect the central nervous system are associated with an increased risk of committing a homicide. The greatest risk was associated with the use of painkillers and tranquillizing benzodiazepines, while anti-depressants were linked only to a slightly elevated risk. The study is the first one of its kind in the world.

Professor Jari Tiihonen's research group analysed the use of prescription drugs of 959 persons convicted of a homicide.

In the recent years, there has been plenty of debate over whether psychotropic drugs can cause violent behav-iour. In particular, this debate has been fuelled by massacres committed by young persons in schools and other public places in the US and in Finland, too. "It has been repeatedly claimed that it was the anti-depressants...

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URL: 
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-06/uoef-fsa052515.php