My theory is that it is not actually the drugs (SSRIs in particular) that are causing these events, but it is the coming off/down from them. Let me explain...

These drugs shift specific chemical pathways in the nervous system that lead to a deep state of apathy, lethargy, laziness and general inaction. And simultaneously, the lack of normal energetic activity we all experience in the course of our typical daily lives is replaced by a significantly heightened amount of imagination and fantasizing which act as substitutes for the typical physical energetic outlets a normal individual partakes in.

Without being on the psychiatric drugs, the intensity and duration of these individual's psychotic fantasies is significantly less, and virtually never acted upon as they are ultimately seen for what they are. However, for those who stop taking these drugs cold turkey, the sudden urge to "act out" their psychotic fantasies hits them like a ton of bricks and no amount of reasoning can prevent them from attempting to fulfilling their fantasies for a period of time, much like a hard drug addict's withdrawal symptoms.

In short, the withdrawal symptoms of someone dropping SSRIs cold turkey is to physically participate in their psychotic imaginings. The mental aspect produced by the tranquilizing effects of the SSRIs is no longer satisfying as nervous system pathways return to normal behavior. As such, the clear preference for physical enactment re-emerges.

I believe those who study these phenomena carefully would concur with this assessment. This is why it these kids become dangerous when they make the decision to skip a tapering down regimen off of their SSRIs and instead go cold turkey.

Another way to think of this is that there is a tremendous buildup of unrealized mental energy potential while the kid is on the drugs. If the water held up by the dam is carefully and systematically released over time, it would be rare to see the insane and senseless actions taking place that we do. However, if the dam is allowed to burst wide open in an instant (cold turkey withdrawal), the destruction downstream is all but inevitable.

Net-Net - It's not the drugs themselves that cause the behavior. It's the rapid, unnatural and highly dangerous changes in brain chemistry that lead to what can rightly be labeled acts of "temporary insanity".

My theory is that it is not actually the drugs (SSRIs in particular) that are causing these events, but it is the coming off/down from them. Let me explain...

These drugs shift specific chemical pathways in the nervous system that lead to a deep state of apathy, lethargy, laziness and general inaction. And simultaneously, the lack of normal energetic activity we all experience in the course of our typical daily lives is replaced by a significantly heightened amount of imagination and fantasizing which act as substitutes for the typical physical energetic outlets a normal individual partakes in.

Without being on the psychiatric drugs, the intensity and duration of these individual's psychotic fantasies is significantly less, and virtually never acted upon as they are ultimately seen for what they are. However, for those who stop taking these drugs cold turkey, the sudden urge to "act out" their psychotic fantasies hits them like a ton of bricks and no amount of reasoning can prevent them from attempting to fulfilling their fantasies for a period of time, much like a hard drug addict's withdrawal symptoms.

In short, the withdrawal symptoms of someone dropping SSRIs cold turkey is to physically participate in their psychotic imaginings while being heavily tranquilized as the mental aspect is no longer satisfying as nervous system pathways return to normal behavior. As such, the clear preference for physical enactment thusly emerges.

I believe those who study these phenomena carefully would concur with this assessment. This is why it these kids become dangerous when they make the decision to skip a tapering down off their SSRIs and instead go cold turkey.

Another way to think of this is that there is a tremendous buildup of unrealized mental energy potential while the kid is on the drugs. If the water held up by the dam is carefully and systematically released over time, it would be rare to see the insane and senseless actions taking place that we do. However, if the dam is allowed to burst wide open in an instant, the destruction downstream is all but inevitable.

Net-Net - It's not the drugs themselves that cause the behavior. It's the rapid, unnatural and highly dangerous changes in brain chemistry that lead to what can rightly be labeled acts of "temporary insanity".