http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_12133447
Link between violence, antidepressants debated
STAFF REPORT
Posted: 04/14/2009 01:00:00 AM EDT

In 2001 when he was 12 years old, Christopher Pittman killed his grandparents with a shotgun.

Christopher was taking a daily dose of 200 mg of Zoloft, an antidepressant, at the time of the killing and his defense became known as the "Zoloft Defense" - that the drug had provoked his homicidal rage.

Four years later, Christopher was convicted of murder, but the jury is still out on the potential of Zoloft and other antidepressants to trigger violent acts. Although no such claim has been made in the case of a Gettysburg College student who allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death last week, Kevin Schaeffer told police he had been taking Zoloft, but had not done so recently, according to court documents.

Schaeffer's attorney, Allan L. Sodomsky, of Reading, declined to comment Monday on whether Schaeffer's experience with Zoloft would be used in his defense. Sodomsky said he will not be making any statements to the press at this time.

Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner also declined to comment Monday.

"At this point, I can't or won't comment on any potential criminal defense," Wagner said. Introduced in 1991 by Pfizer, Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used to treat major depression in adult outpatients as well as obsessive-compulsive, panic, and social anxiety disorders in both adults and children. It was the most prescribed antidepressant on the U.S. retail market in 2007, with 29,652,000 prescriptions.

Although taking or withdrawing from Zoloft and similar antidepressants have been linked to suicide in suspectible individuals, the link between these drugs and other violent behaviors remains controversial.

In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration heard testimony on the use of Zoloft in children. One of the parents speaking out against Zoloft was Pittman's father, though the drug manufacturers denied any link between these drugs and violent acts.

The FDA stopped short of making a finding that the drugs did cause the complained-of side effects. Still, since then antidepressants carry a label warning advising users that "anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness (and) impulsivity" have been reported by people taking them.