Young people taking antidepressants like Prozac are far more likely to commit violent crimes and doctors should warn of the dangers when prescribing, scientists at Oxford University have said.
A study of more than 850,000 people in Sweden found that those aged between 15 and 24 were 43 per cent more likely to be convicted of crimes like assault.
There has been a staggering rise in the prescribing of antidepressants in recent years, with around eight per cent of people in Britain now taking medication to combat depression. The vast majority are prescribed a type called SSRIs - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - which include well known drugs like Prozac and Seroxat.
The researchers found that the 84,000 young people taking SSRI antidepressants had committed 2,081 violent crimes over a four year period between 2006 and 2010, around 890 more than would have been expected for the general population.
Don't mess with things you don't understand.