Eric Harris was prescribed the medication called Zoloft in April ‘98, following the diversion questionnaire he had filled out in which he noted a number of problems ranging from ‘racing thoughts’ to having contemplated suicide more than twice in recent months. Shortly after, he complains about experiencing adjustment issues with the prescribed drug to the point where his psychiatrist felt it safer to prescribe him a different medication called Luvox. Both of these fall into the category of so-called SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They are among the most prescribed anti-depressants in many countries, although their effects in mild or moderate cases of depression have been disputed.
The documented interval of two weeks of no medication between taking one medication and then the other can have caused Eric some degree of trouble. The withdrawal symptoms for SSRIs are mild to severe, with many patients reporting flu-like symptoms and the almost immediate return of the depressive/anxious feelings they were taking the medication for. Some report feeling electric shock-like sensations, nightmares/vivid dreams, and unexplained sensations on the skin such as burning or prickling. Many don’t feel ‘together enough’ in terms of concentrating and report light-headedness. There is a slight but marked change in Eric during the transition period, which can be seen in his journal and has previously been documented extensively by yours truly here.
We do not know exactly why Eric was prescribed an SSRI. His therapy files remain sealed even today, so it is virtually impossible to figure out the exact circumstances in which he was prescribed the medication. It’s the common assumption among researchers of the case that he was put on this medication due to a diagnosis that included OCD, as these SSRIs are also frequently used to help combat anxiety disorders. It is, in all cases, a decision that is made only after certain diagnostic tools such as DSM-IV and ICD-10 questionnaires have been utilised, and it’s also likely to assume that Eric and his parents went through a detailed ‘intake’ of at least two or three appointments that would help document and visualise the exact problems before the decision to prescribe the medication was made. Eric would have had follow-up appointments to monitor his use of the medication, which therefore allowed him to signal the trouble he was having with Zoloft, but those appointments may have gotten more infrequent as time went on.
Back in ’98 and ’99, little seems to have been known about the dangers of prescribing SSRIs to children and young adults like Eric. In 2004, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) analysed clinical trials of these drugs in children with major depressive disorders and found statistically significant increases of the risks of “possible suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviours” by 80%, and of “agitation and hostility” by about 130%. (This is particularly noted at the initiation of a new therapy or at the time of dose changes, of which the latter may be applicable to Eric due to reports that he cycled on and off the prescription medication of his own volition in that last year of his life.) The FDA has since recommended close observation of young people treated with SSRIs for worsening depression or the emergence of suicidal tendencies.
The coroner’s report shows that Eric had therapeutic levels of Luvox present in his system on the day of the massacre. I have speculated before that the medication may have helped him focus and follow through on his planned purposes. However, it’s also an interesting note due to the findings of the FDA concerning the emergence of suicidal tendencies following the prescriptions of these drugs to young people under the age of 25. Eric already reported suicidal ideations before he was ever put on the SSRIs and should have been monitored by his therapist most closely to ensure that the medication did not worsen the situation at hand, regardless of the fact that the study showing the correlation between the SSRIs and suicidal tendencies did not follow until some 5 years after his death.
It is, perhaps, too heavy-handed to say that the seeming lack of monitoring provided by his therapist in this case and the prescription of the SSRIs themselves directly contributed to the events that took place on 4/20/99. However, it is quite likely that the use of these SSRIs by Eric, who suffered from multiple issues ranging from anxiety to moderate/severe depression that would undoubtedly feed off/into one another, contributed to the suicidal aspect of the massacre for him and possibly intensified his feelings of agitation and hostility beyond any level he himself would have been able to handle.
Columbine 