An unfortunate consequence of the shooting spree last April in Littleton, Colo., that left a number of students dead has been the spread of a message by antipsychiatry groups that psychotropic medications are dangerous.

"At a time when we are attempting to encourage treatment to alleviate suffering, minimize reactions to trauma, and facilitate healing, we are having to dispel myths about psychiatric medications," said Doris Gundersen, M.D., chair of the Colorado Psychiatric Society (CPS) public affairs committee in an interview.

The revelation that Eric Harris, one of the two shooters at Columbine High School, was taking Luvox (fluvoxamine) has given the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) more ammunition to claim that psychotropic medications for children lead to hostile or violent behavior. The CCHR was established by the Church of Scientology in 1969.

Their arguments were persuasive enough to gain a hearing with Colorado legislators last November to examine the issue of violence in schools. Peter Breggin, M.D., author of Toxic Psychiatry, said the side effects of the drug that Harris was taking included "grandiosity" and "Godlike behavior," according to a November 10 Rocky Mountain News article.

Gundersen complained that "no local experts were invited to testify, including child and adolescent psychiatrists. We learned about the hearing at the last minute and sent members to testify, but they were given less time than our opponents."

CPS members Marshall Thomas, M.D., and Marianne Wamboldt, M.D., urged lawmakers to consider the millions of children on medications such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) or fluvoxamine who never pull the trigger but who might be violent if they were not on medication, according to the newspaper article.

Meanwhile, a resolution promoting the use of academic solutions to resolve problems with behavior, attention, and learning was introduced by Patti Johnson, a member of the State Board of Education. She testified at the hearing that parents are being pressured by teachers to put their children on Ritalin. Such pressure may be driven by school districts receiving extra federal funding for children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to the newspaper account.

The board passed the resolution in November, which states that there are "documented instances of highly negative consequences in which psychiatric prescription drugs have been used for essentially problems of discipline. . . ."

It also calls for more communication among educators, parents, and medical personnel about the effects of psychotropic drugs on student achievement, according to a copy of the resolution.

CPS sent a strongly worded letter to the state Board of Education asking it to reconsider and rescind the resolution. CPS complained in the letter that the board exceeded its authority by expressing medical opinions, such as "there have been incidences of highly documented negative consequences in which psychiatric prescription drugs have been used for what are essentially problems of discipline."

In addition, the board "with no apparent medical training" recommends "proven academic and/or classroom management solutions" as a treatment for ADHD.

The resolution would serve only to discourage parents from seeking appropriate treatment for their children and further stigmatize children diagnosed with serious mental illnesses, said CPS in the letter.

"Instead of passing ill-informed resolutions, we believe that the board should work with local school boards and educators to determine what problems exist and how they can best be resolved," said CPS in the letter.

Jennifer Hagman, M.D., immediate past president of the Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Society (CCAPS), told Psychiatric News, "Many teachers and counselors in Jefferson County think the board’s assertion that they force parents into medicating their children is outrageous."

Hagman was instrumental in organizing a clinical consultation project to schools in Jefferson County involving about 30 members from CCAPS, CPS, the Denver Psychoanalytic Society, and the state psychological and social work associations. Since September a psychiatrist or mental health professional has met with a group of school counselors every few weeks to learn about the problems they face and provide consultation, said Hagman.

"Funding for mental health services—especially school-based mental health services—is a low priority in Colorado especially in Jefferson County. Because not every school has a counselor on site, children with mental health problems may receive 15 minutes of counseling every two or three weeks," said Hagman, who is also medical director of the inpatient psychiatric unit at Children’s Hospital in Denver.

Because the need for mental health services among students has increased since the Columbine shooting, funding for comprehensive services is critical, said Hagman.

"The impact of the Columbine shooting continues. People are experiencing delayed reactions to trauma and students who threatened their classmates are being referred to me for psychiatric assessments almost weekly. The difference now is that the police and parents want me to guarantee that the child will not become violent, which is impossible to predict," said Hagman.