firearm ownership and antidepressants

[ChibiPaw]

It had just occurred to me a good chunk of the people whom I know are on (for life) some form of antidepressants, bipolar meds, ritalin or any sort of happy pills.

Do those factors play in the eligibility of firearm ownership? Does the require background check some how is able to detect such a medical diagnose?

While I dont know any of them who actually owns a firearm, I have heard friends tell me stories of their family members who ARE on those types of medications, and do own firearms.

Which of course make me feel a little unease knowing this fact.

Does it bother you if you knew of someone in proximity who are on those meds and have firearms?

[Fobjoe]

Ritalin, not TOO much...bipolar meds and antidepressents are another story. It DOES help to know that they at least have medication they NEED. However, it's too easy for them to go off their meds and the deep end. That is where I would worry.

[berto]

We're an over-medicated nation. The feel good pill of the moment gets prescribed if you ask the doctor for it because it makes money for the medical-industrial complex. Being on the happy pills doesn't mean a person will go nutso without them any more than not being on them means somebody won't go nutso. A lot of the happy pills supposedly help people deal with social phobias and anxiety. Many people can function normaly without the pills but feel better with the pills.

I'm really not worried about a guy with a prescription having guns. I'm not too worried about a guy self-medicating with some herbal remedy having guns. Happy pills in conjunction with mental health counseling help a lot of people. That mental health professional is required to alert the authorities if the patient presents a threat.

The adjudicated mental defectives don't get guns.

[CowboyShooter]

Ritalin, not TOO much...bipolar meds and antidepressents are another story. It DOES help to know that they at least have medication they NEED. However, it's too easy for them to go off their meds and the deep end. That is where I would worry.

The problem is that there are medical studies that show an increase in suicidal thoughts (especially in young people) that are on anti-depressants. It would worry me...

[StukaJr]

Not currently, no, no and no...

There has been some noise about it after the VTech tragedy, but currently the FFL is not denied based on what prescription a person has or used to have.

Now, let me get this straight - you feel uncomfortable that people that actually seek psychiatric help own firearms, but you are just fine that people with possibly damaging and untreated psychiatric conditions can own firearms? Or do you have problems that mood altering medications are easily available, physically addictive and marketed to self diagnosed symptoms by big pharmaceutical companies for profit? Or is it the problem that most of these "medications" are often damaging, addictive, at times cause unpredictable behavior and maybe should be tighter controlled? What's your concern? Obviously, the latter two have little to do with firearm ownership and a lot with something else.

[Hopi]

It had just occurred to me a good chunk of the people whom I know are on (for life) some form of antidepressants, bipolar meds, ritalin or any sort of happy pills.

Ahhhhhhhh, California......

Do those factors play in the eligibility of firearm ownership? Does the require background check some how is able to detect such a medical diagnose?

While I dont know any of them who actually owns a firearm, I have heard friends tell me stories of their family members who ARE on those types of medications, and do own firearms.

Which of course make me feel a little unease know this fact.

Does it bother you if you knew of someone in proximity who are on those meds and have firearms?

Personally knowing a Bi-polar person, even with 'effective' treatment/drugs, i would worry a bit about the mood swings and decision making capacity. If you require drugs that stabilize your moods and allow you to make proper judgments, I would argue that you are incapable of responsible firearms ownership.

[ChibiPaw]

Not currently, no, no and no...

There has been some noise about it after the VTech tragedy, but currently the FFL is not denied based on what prescription a person has or used to have.

Now, let me get this straight - you feel uncomfortable that people that actually seek psychiatric help own firearms, but you are just fine that people with possibly damaging and untreated psychiatric conditions can own firearms? Or do you have problems that mood altering medications are easily available, physically addictive and marketed to self diagnosed symptoms by big pharmaceutical companies for profit? Or is it the problem that most of these "medications" are often damaging, addictive, at times cause unpredictable behavior and maybe should be tighter controlled? What's your concern? Obviously, the latter two have little to do with firearm ownership and a lot with something else.

I wasn't too concern about it a few days ago, and really haven't thought much about it before. I was supposed meeting with someone this past weekend to work on a project of finishing up the last touches on a skit. She got a phone call that her brother evidently wigged out his roommates (who called) by not taking his biopolar meds. What resulted was him buying several crates of chocolate cupcakes (?!), barricading himself, armed and paranoid.

Thankfully she arrived and defused the situation.

So that's how this train of thought got started.

[StukaJr]

I wasn't too concern about it a few days ago, and really haven't thought much about it before. I was supposed meeting with someone this past weekend to work on a project of finishing up the last touches on a skit. She got a phone call that her brother evidently wigged out his roommates (who called) by not taking his biopolar meds. What resulted was him buying several crates of chocolate cupcakes (?!), barricading himself, armed and paranoid.

So it's the problem of a person skipping his medications and not particularly being on medications?

I guess, it depends on the situation - I guess if he gets involuntarily committed against his will and found danger to himself or others, then there go his firearm ownership rights amongst a few other - if the situation was bad enough. But all things considered, it appears that even if roommates "wigged out" - he did not assault his roommates and avoided confrontation... Without actually being there and not knowing much how active was his firearms in this...

Armed and paranoid describes a big percentage of US population

[ChibiPaw]

So it's the problem of a person skipping his medications and not particularly being on medications?

I guess, it depends on the situation - I guess if he gets involuntarily committed against his will and found danger to himself or others, then there go his firearm ownership rights amongst a few other - if the situation was bad enough. But all things considered, it appears that even if roommates "wigged out" - he did not assault his roommates and avoided confrontation... Without actually being there and not knowing much how active was his firearms in this...

Armed and paranoid describes a big percentage of US population

I guess you might say that. I really don't have much opinions if a person should or should not be on medications. But by not doing exactly what the doc says such as taking the meds, such action can affect others in the proximity. That is obviously a concern , especially if someone waves around a loaded gun in front of me, and decides in his head that WWIII when it's just a boring saturday afternoon.

I dont know the full detail of the story. But evidently he was eating nothing but said cupcakes for days, camped out in his living room pointing his guns at the front door. There was a toddler of 2yr old toddler covered in bits of cupcakes too. But noone was hurt, but scared the crap out of everyone involved. His sister made him take the medications again, and baby sat him through out the entire weekend.

I think the guy likes his chocolate cupcakes....

[Zhukov]

What bothers me most is the assumption by many people that someone who is bi-polar is violent. I am a diagnosed bi-polar gun owner, yet I'm in no way more a threat to anyone than any of you "normal" people would be. I just recently got medication to help me with my mania which causes me to not sleep and have concentration issues. My worst case anger off meds was yelling. I've owned the guns prior to having been diagnosed and never once, no matter how angry, did I consider using it to resolve a dispute.

The other fact is that the term bi-polar is thrown around far more than it should be. Multiple disorders and it share core symptoms. So people get treated for the wrong disorder and when they go postal because they're borderline personality the media and the average joe will think that if you're bi-polar you're automatically a threat.

There are reasons being bi-polar alone is not a good enough reason to take firearms away and that is because basically anyone can get diagnosed with it if you had a doctor who took a more generalized approach to looking for symptoms.

I have a very "classic" bi-polar model, but I'm not violent. I will defend myself if threatened, even deadly force if the threat warrants it. I will not, however, try ending a minor confrontation by putting a bullet in someone regardless of whether or not I'm on medication.

[LECTRIKHED]

Yes studies show an higher rates of suicide & suicidal thoughts in teenagers taking anti-depressants. This is because they are depressed. Depressed people kill themselves. They also take anti-depressants, because they are depressed and a doctor has prescribed it.

This is a correlation, not cause and effect. Just like people who take heart medicine have a higher rate of heart attacks. That's why they take the medicine, because something is wrong with their heart. People with heart problems have higher rates of dying from heart attacks. Just like depressed people have a higher rate of suicide.

[yellowfin]

Given the laws and the way firearms owners are treated in some places here it doesn't surprise me that many would be very depressed.

[xrMike]

Does it bother you if you knew of someone in proximity who are on those meds and have firearms?

As long as Voices #4 and #12 vouch for them, I'm okay with it.

[ChibiPaw]

As long as Voices #4 and #12 vouch for them, I'm okay with it.

[Waingro]

If you feel they are not stable enough to own firearms they should not own a car.