What does the Governor of Maine & Matthew Perry have in common? A drug called Ketamine.
The death of Matthew Perry, due to the acute effect of Ketamine, has brought international attention to the use of the drug within the psychiatric industry. Ketamine, primarily known as an anesthetic, has shown potential in ameliorating depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation according to Missouri Medicine: The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, but wait, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) there clearly is a serious down side.
There is abundant evidence that psychiatric drugs cause violence; 22 international drug regulatory warnings cite psychiatric drugs causing violent reactions, including mania, hostility, violence, aggression, and homicidal ideation. Between 2004 and 2012, there were 14,773 reports to the U.S. FDA’s MedWatch system on psychiatric drugs causing violent side effects including: 1,531 cases of homicidal ideation/homicide, 3,287 cases of mania & 8,219 cases of aggression. Note that the FDA estimates that less than 1% of all serious events are ever reported, so the actual number of adverse side effects occurring is most certainly higher.