OMG! Two University Economists Hail Psych Meds as Cause for Crime Reduction!!!!

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Lifeline: Antidepressants as crimefighters, kicking smoking

Updated: July 13, 2010, 8:05 am /

Published: July 13, 2010, 12:30 am

Meds help prevent crimes

According to FBI reports, crime rates around the U. S. are steadily dropping.

Can we thank increased law enforcement? Tougher crack cocaine laws? Roe vs.

Wade?A recent study by two economists sheds light on an unacknowledged hero.

The recent decline in crime may in part be the result of psychiatric medication,

according to Dave Marcotte of the University of land and Sara Markowitz of

Emory University. Because many violent criminals suffer from severe mental

illness, they argue, increased treatment and awareness have helped prevent

crimes.

Over a 10-year survey period, drops in violent crime followed increases in

psychopharmaceutical prescriptions even after controlling for income and

education levels (but not for rates of talk therapy).

Markowitz advocates increasing access to antidepressants and stimulants (such as

Ritalin). She estimates that just a 10 percent increase in prescription rates

for these drugs could decrease the national violent crime rate by 0.6 and 0.7

percent respectively, which would prevent close to 10,000 violent crimes

nationwide.

Combine to kick the habit

A federally funded study that compared five different medication strategies to

help people stop smoking concluded that the combination of a nicotine patch and

a nicotine lozenge was the most effective strategy.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin enrolled 1,504 adults in this

randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants admitted to the

eight-week intervention smoked at least 10 cigarettes (half a pack) per day.

They were randomly assigned to one of six therapies: nicotine lozenge, nicotine

patch, or bupropion (Zyban) alone, or the patch plus lozenge, bupropion plus

lozenge, or placebo. (Another commonly used medication, varenicline (Chantix),

was not included.) All participants also received six individual counseling

sessions.

The researchers assessed smoking rates one week, eight weeks and six months

after participants’ quit dates. Although all medication strategies made it more

likely than placebo that participants would stop smoking, the combination of a

nicotine patch and the lozenge worked best. Participants receiving this

combination who eventually relapsed took longer to do so, on average, than

participants who relapsed while on the other treatments.

Compiled from News wire sources.

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