According to the Florida chapter of the [Citizens Commission on Human Rights](CCHR), a recent study by the British Medical Association confirming reports that the use of [antidepressant)strikingly increases the incidence of weight gain in patients is just one more health risk associated with psychiatric drugs. [1]
CCHR, a nonprofit watchdog dedicated to exposing and eliminating violations of human rights in the field of mental health, has been a vocal critic of psychiatric prescription medications and their harmful effects for decades pointing to the litany of dangerous adverse reactions and side effects associated with these drugs. [2]
The study recently published in the British Medical Journal was held at Kings College in London and examined results of 300,000 patients whose body mass was weighed at least three times in the course of treatment. Around 53,000 adults in the British study had been prescribed antidepressants for the first time in the course of the study and they were far more likely to gain 5 percent or more of their body weight than those not taking antidepressants. Statistically, this group had a 21% higher probability of getting fatter than those not on antidepressants. [3]
Britain and the U.S. have among the highest [obesity](https://www.cchrflorida.org/?s=antidepressants) rates in the world, and the use of antidepressants in the U.S. has climbed about 65% over the past 15 years, said Diane Stein, president of CCHR Florida. This is not a coincidence and deaths from obesity are rising worldwide. [4]
A recent study by the Mayo Clinic confirmed that weight gain is a possible side effect of almost all antidepressants. Tofranil, Nardol, Paxil, Pexeva, and Remeron were drugs specifically mentioned as likely to cause weight gain, along with other drugs in similar categories. [5]
WebMD has also reported that for 25% of people, use of antidepressants can cause weight gain of up to 10 pounds or more. [6] This includes all the most widely used and prescribed antidepressants. Not uncommonly, some patients complain that the weight gain makes them even more depressed. [7]
Antidepressants and other psychiatric medications are an unhealthy approach to mental well-being, said Stein. The first promise of every doctors Hippocratic oath is Do no harm. There is not a single psychiatric medication that can claim to follow that oath.
Anyone wishing for more information on psychiatric drugs is encouraged to contact CCHR Florida at 727-442-8820 or visit the center located at 109 N. Fort Harrison Avenue in downtown.
About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHRs mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, first brought psychiatric imprisonment to wide public notice: Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the free world tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of mental health, he wrote in March 1969. For more information visit, [www.cchrflorida.org](http://www.cchrflorida.org/)
Sources:
[1] Antidepressant utilisation and incidence of weight gain during 10 years follow-up: population based cohort study https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k1951.short
2] CCHR's Psychiatric Drug Side Effects Search Engine https://www.cchrint.org/psychdrugdangers/
[3] Could increased antidepressant use be contributing to the global obesity problem?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/could-increased-antidepressant-use-be-contributing-to-the-global-obesity-problem/2018/08/24/17b8c352-a567-11e8-a656-943eefab5daf_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.18a0f81d2c24
[4] Antidepressant use in U.S. soars by 65 percent in 15 years https://www.cbsnews.com/news/antidepressant-use-soars-65-percent-in-15-years/
[5] Antidepressants and weight gain: What causes it?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases.../antidepressants-and-weight-gain/faq-20058127
[7] Fat Pharms: Antidepressants and Weight Gain https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/antidepressants-weight-gain#1
[7] Why Do Antidepressants Cause Weight Gain? https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/mental-health/why-do-antidepressants-cause-weight-gain/
